China's announcement that it is ready to resume talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader, is a positive development for both parties.

Such talks could lead to two positive outcomes: smooth-running Olympic games in China and greater dialogue and understanding between the Beijing government and the Tibetans.

No one would gain from China's humiliation if the games were cancelled or even boycotted by certain nations. The biggest losers would be the athletes themselves, who have trained for years in anticipation. Even alienated Tibetans would not win after such an outcome, since the world would see them as putting their own interests ahead of the good of the Olympics.

From the Tibetan perspective, there is no question that the Chinese have been heavy-handed since their takeover in 1950. Tibetans do not appreciate Beijing flooding the Han Chinese into Tibet, nor the immigrants' growing economic dominance there. Religious freedom for Tibetan Buddhists is another issue between them and the Chinese, including the key question of the successor to the Dalai Lama.

For the Chinese the government's relationship with the Tibetans is delicate, particularly given other minorities in the country which have their own issues with the central government.

None of these matters are easy to resolve, but all of them will benefit from direct discussions between representatives of the Beijing government and the Dalai Lama. Talks ceased last summer but are likely to resume shortly.

The Tibetans are suspicious that this is their only moment to put their case to the world and that the Chinese are just stringing them along. At the same time, the activities of their exiles and supporters put pressure on governments to take steps that could detract from the Olympic games. The bumpy odyssey of the Olympic torch has been a mini-nightmare.

The Tibetans need to be assured that their problems will get high-level attention, from the world as well as from the Chinese government. Discussions between Beijing and Tibetan representatives should begin promptly.