Chinese officials and the Dalai Lama’s “private representatives” agreed to hold another round of “contact and consultation at an appropriate time”, state run Xinhua news agency said after the meeting in the booming southern city of Shenzen.

It said during the meeting officials Zhu Weiqun and Sitar told the Dalai Lama’s envoys that the riots in Lhasa on March 12 had given rise to “new obstacles” for resuming contacts and consultations with the “Dalai Lama’s side”. However, the Government, they said, still arranged the meeting with “great patience and sincerity”.

Zhu and Sitar had expressed the hope that to create conditions for the next round of contact and consultation, the Dalai Lama’s side would take “credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games”, the agency said quoting sources.

Earlier, the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharmsala had said talks between the Dalai Lama’s envoys Lody Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen and Chinese officials would continue for next two-three days, but the parleys failed to stretch beyond a few hours at the tight guarded state guest house.

The Chinese officials said that the Lhasa riots which was “against the peoples will” had jeopardised the fundamental interests of all the Chinese people, including Tibetans, and caused “great public indignation and strong condemnation” by people from various walks of life.

The Tibetan government-in-exile said on Saturday that their “immediate concern” was for ending “repression” and lifting of all restrictions on Tibetans and they will raise it with the Chinese. However, Chinese officials involved in the parleys defended the crackdown saying it was “completely correct” for the local government to take actions in accordance with the law to maintain social stability and to safeguard the country’s legal system and the “peoples essential interest”.

The Dalai Lamas representatives expressed their views on “relevant matters” and said they would “report truthfully what had been discussed” at the meeting to the Dalai Lama, Xinhua quoted sources as saying.

Earlier, Chinese President Hu Jintao said he hoped for a “positive outcome” in the fence-mending talks, raising hopes of a breakthrough. “I hope the contacts will yield a positive outcome,” Hu said asking the Dalai Lama to abandon “violent agitation”.