The exiled spiritual leader of Tibetans has welcomed an offer from China to meet with his envoy to discuss the unrest that struck Tibet last month.

"We have to explore the causes of the problems and seek solution through talks," the Dalai Lama told reporters in Dharmsala, India on Saturday.

"We need to have serious talks about how to reduce the Tibetan resentment within Tibet," he said.

"But just mere meeting some of my men in order to show the world that they are having dialogue, then it is meaningless."

China made the offer on Friday. However, it gave few details.

Despite the offer, fresh attacks on the Dalai Lama appeared in China's news media on Saturday.

The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, attacked the "Dalai clique" in an editorial for seeking support from the West and ignoring "the efforts and achievements made by China after shaking off serfdom and poverty in Tibet."

The Tibet Daily, another party newspaper, said "the Lhasa March 14 incident is another ugly performance meticulously plotted by the Dalai clique to seek Tibet independence."

Riots broke out in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, sparking a Chinese crackdown.

The whole situation has cast a pall over the lead-up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Pro-Tibet protesters and others critical of China have used the Olympic torch run to raise awareness of their causes.

The International Campaign for Tibet said Friday's news showed China is responding to pressure. However, it said similar offers in the past have yielded little real change.

The Dalai Lama, who left Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said he isn't seeking independence for Tibet, reoccupied by China in 1950. Instead, he is seeking what he calls "meaningful autonomy."

With files from The Associated Press