Chinese central government officials will meet with private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama on Sunday, official sources told Xinhua on Saturday.

The representatives arrived in China on Saturday, a central government department official confirmed.

He said that the contacts and consultations will be between Zhu Weiqun and Sitar (who uses only one name), two officials with the central government, and the Dalai Lama's two private representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen.

The central government announced its decision in late April to have contacts and consultations with the Dalai Lama's private representative, in view of the requests repeatedly made by the Dalai Lama side for resuming talks.

"It is hoped that through contact and consultation, the Dalai side will take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games so as to create conditions for talks," an official said.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on April 29 expressed the hope that the Dalai Lama and his followers could "cherish" this opportunity.

"We hope the Dalai Lama and his followers will cherish this opportunity, recognize the situation, change their position, and take concrete actions to stop violent crimes and activities involving disruption of the Beijing Olympics and splitting the motherland, to create conditions for further consultation," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2008)