ABSTRACT
In 1987 and 1988 the Fourteenth Dalai Lama proposed that the government of the People's Republic of China remain responsible for Tibet's foreign policy while Tibet is governed by its own constitution or basic law, and that the Tibetan government should comprise a popularly elected chief executive, a bicameral legislature, and an independent legal system. Ten years later, in 1998, the Dalai Lama expressed his great disappointment. "Sadly, the Chinese government has not responded positively to my proposals and initiatives over the past 18 years for a negotiated resolution of our problem within the framework [apart from the question of total independence of Tibet all other issues could be discussed and resolved] stated by Mr. Deng Xiaoping." 1
