Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also one SPD deputy leader, did not meet the Tibetan. Steinmeier told journalists that quiet diplomacy helps the Tibetan people more than public receptions. The SPD's senior leader, Kurt Beck, chose more graphic language to vent his anger. When he caught wind of the minister's meeting with the Dalai Lama, "this shit" could no longer be undone, Beck fumed.
Why all the aggravation? The Dalai Lama visits Germany almost every year and electrifies thousands of people at his public appearances. But this visit was special. First, it was his first visit since the violence in Tibet. Second, Beijing was so indignant after Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) received the Dalai Lama in the Chancellery last year that it called off all high-level consultations for months.
This time Merkel, being out of the country, was off the hook. She was on a weeklong tour of Latin America. But even her party colleague, German President Horst Köhler, refused to see the Tibetan leader - a decision that promptly took the wind out of the sails for CDU criticism that the SPD foreign minister who was also out of the country should have met with the Dalai Lama.
For his part, the nonviolence advocate took the bout of bickering in stride. In any case, thousands of Berliners turned out to cheer him on at the Brandenburg Gate. German pop stars and artists also basked in the Dalai Lama's glow. Why does he return to Germany so often, asked the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "It's all the invitations," the Tibetan leader replied. Their desire is so great, and they're so friendly, he added.
- Anett Keller