BEIJING - China says it will hold a new round of talks on Tibet with representatives of the Dalai Lama next month.
The announcement by the official Xinhua news agency says the meetings will take place in early July but does not give a specific date or venue.
Thupten Samphal, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile in Dharmsala, India, confirms that the next round of talks will be held 'soon.'
He did not have any other details but said that government-in-exile officials will meet Monday to discuss logistics.
China has been accused of using heavy-handed tactics in quelling anti-government riots and protests that began in March in Tibet and Tibetan communities in western China.
Some experts believe Beijing is agreeing to a fresh round of discussions to ease international pressure and criticism ahead of the Olympic Games that begin Aug. 8 in China .
