the dalai lama says he will quit if violence out of control

Jonathan Allen

DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) - The Dalai Lama said on Tuesday he would resign as Tibetan leader if the situation veers out of control in Tibet and denied accusations from China that he was inciting riots.

"If things become out of control then my only option is to completely resign," Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, told a news conference at his base of Dharamsala in northern India.

On Tuesday, China's premier Wen Jiabao accused the Dalai Lama of orchestrating riots in which dozens may have died and said his followers were trying to "incite sabotage" of Beijing's August Olympic Games.

The Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India in 1959, denied Chinese accusations that he was masterminding protests and said he was against violence, whether from Chinese or Tibetans.

"Even 1,000 Tibetans sacrificed their life, not much help," he told reporters. "Please help stop violence from Chinese side and also from Tibetan side."

The Dalai Lama said he had nothing to hide from the Chinese.

::read more My concern is that, as the Chinese aim is to discredit the Dalai Lama and undermine his positive influence, they would be delighted if he did resign. What hope for the Tibetan people then?