25/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said he was “encouraged” by the discussions he had had on Tibet with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiaboa. At a press conference after their meeting in Beijing on Friday 25 April, Barroso said he looked forward to “positive developments soon” in Tibet. On the same day, Xinhua, the official Chinese press agency, announced, without giving any further details, that the Chinese authorities were preparing shortly to meet a representative of the Dalai Lama. The Slovenian Presidency immediately welcomed the news, and said that it had received a letter (of 16 April) from the Chinese prime Minister confirming the announcement. (A.B.)