"If [China and Tibet] are truly friends, then we should be able to make clear to one another our faults," the 73-year-old said. "But becuase of its very poor record on human rights, religious freedom, freedom of expression and freedom of the press, the image of China in the field of moral authority is very, very poor," he told journalists after his address.
"Harmony between the major religions is absolutely possible" because they all profess the same messages of "love and compassion," His Holiness told MEPs. But "special effort" will be necessary to achieve this, he warned, "because wars are being fought in religion's name".
Disregarding the speech he had prepared, which he urged those interested to read later, the Dalai Lama lamented that modern living placed "too much emphasis on material value". "Materially, we are very rich. But one of the most important aspects of happiness is linked to peace of mind. Too much stress, ambition and greed can destroy inner peace," he explained.
The Dalai Lama's visit, which brings the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 to a close, was overshadowed by the fall-out from last week’s decision by Beijing to cancel a scheduled summit between the EU and China over his presence in Europe.
His Holiness told MEPs that he was not seeking an independent Tibet, but "general autonomy" within the People's Republic of China (PRC). "Chinese officials consider our approach as a separatist movement. It is not. This is totally wrong," he told journalists.
European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering reacted by saying that the Parliament "recognises the territorial integrity of China, and Tibet is a part of China." Nevertheless, "we will always defend the rights of the Tibetan people," he declared.
"The Chinese […] distort information and distort propaganda so much that I have a responsibility to explain the truth to leaders as much as possible," the Dalai Lama continued. "Every Tibetan wants progress, so it is in every Tibetan's interest to remain within the PRC," the exiled leader told Parliament, stressing his commitment to non-violent means of achieving more autonomy.
But not all commentators agree with this interpretation. Writing on his blog, Stanley Crossick, the founder of the European Policy Centre, bemoans the lack of clarity surrounding the Dalai Lama's intentions, particularly concerning his desire for "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet. Likewise, he calls upon Beijing to define what it means by referring to Tibet as an "autonomous region" rather than a "province".
Moreover, Crossick believes that promoting dialogue between cultures and religions cannot be the sole justification for the exiled leader's visit to Europe. "Talk about seeing him as a religious leader does not explain why a leader of only 3m meets so many western leaders so frequently," he states, refusing to believe that all they talk about is religion.
As for His Holiness himself, he told journalists not to look for political calculations in every one of his movements. "The Chinese always treat my every move with great suspicion. I think they would even see some political significance in my drinking this glass of water," he joked, before taking a sip.
