South Africa has denied Tibetan leader Dalai Lama a visa to attend a peace conference. Media reports say that, South Africa issued the ban due to pressure from China. China is a major trading partner for South Africa. Earlier, the Chinese embassy in South Africa had warned the South African government that allowing the Dalai Lama into the country would harm bilateral relations. In protest, several Nobel laureates have threatened to boycott the conference in Johannesburg, which has been organised to highlight the first World Cup to be held in Africa.

 

Meanwhile, Dalai Lama's spokesperson told the media that, the ban was very disappointed. He also accused South Africa of succumbing to intense pressure from China. Questioning the logic behind the ban, Archbishop Desmond Tutu accused South African government of shamelessly succumbing to Chinese pressure. He also had branded the decision to bar the Dalai Lama as disgraceful.

 

However, spokesman for President Kgalema Motlanthe, Thabo Masebe denied suggestions that the ban was a result of pressure from China. He also said the conference organizers had not consulted them before inviting the Dalai Lama and that a high-profile visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader would have distracted from the conference's main focus.