"My trust in Chinese officials has become thinner and thinner," the Tibetan spiritual leader told nearly 600 delegates after a week-long review of the Dalai Lama's strategy towards Beijing.

"In the next 20 years, if we are not careful in our actions and planning, then there is great danger to the Tibetan community," he said in the exiles' base in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala.

On Saturday, representatives from the global Tibetan movement ended their meeting by backing the Dalai Lama's "middle way" policy of talks with Beijing seeking what they call meaningful, or greater, autonomy for Tibet.

The decision was a disappointment for those groups who had favoured a shift towards an unequivocal demand for full independence.

"After frank and candid discussions... the majority decision was to continue the policy of 'middle way,'" said the meeting's final statement released on Saturday.

However it added their patience was not unlimited, and that the opinions of delegates who wished "to pursue complete independence or self-determination if no result comes out in the near future were also strongly expressed."

The Dalai Lama had called the conclave after admitting his attempts to secure concessions from China had failed to achieve a breakthrough.

But many delegates were reluctant to drop the policy instigated by their leader, saying any shift would lose Tibetans international support and further antagonise Beijing.

"His policy is practical," Jamyang Jinpa, a 29-year-old monk who attended the meeting, told AFP. "It's one that can move with the times."

Lhadon Tethorg, a pro-independence delegate and New York president of Students for a Free Tibet, said the week had left her with mixed emotions.

"We are in a democratic system, but the opinion of the majority may not be the right one," she said.

The meeting had no policy-making power but the exiled Tibetan parliament should view its outcome "as a form of research," said the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

On Friday he was again accused by China of covertly campaigning for independence -- a view that the meeting's conclusions were at pains to disprove.

He stressed that the meeting's support for autonomy was uninfluenced by his own views.

"I deliberately remained silent to allow for free expression," he said on Sunday, explaining why he had not attended the event.

Before the meeting, he had said he needed guidance due to the lack of progress in talks with China.

In March, protests against Chinese rule in the capital, Lhasa, erupted into violence that spread to other areas of western China with Tibetan populations.

Tibet's government-in-exile said more than 200 Tibetans were killed in a subsequent Chinese crackdown.

Among the meeting's recommendations was a plea for the Dalai Lama, now 73, not to repeat recent comments that he was winding down his active duties.

He had to cancel trips abroad after being hospitalised in August and also underwent gallstone surgery last month.

The delegates urged him "to continue to shoulder responsibility of the spiritual and temporal leadership of the Tibetan struggle at this crucial time by not stating even a word of semi-retirement or retirement."

But the Nobel peace prize winner disappointed them, telling reporters that "my position has long been semi-retirement."

"I am a human being and I also have human rights," he said with a grin. "The majority of decisions are taken by the prime minister. I act as his senior adviser."

However he stressed the divide between his official and spiritual roles, saying "my moral responsibilities will always be there until my death."

related report
Tibetan exiles stick with moderate China policy
Tibetan exiles backed Saturday the Dalai Lama's "middle way" of talks with China to win autonomy for the Himalayan region but some warned they would seek full independence if efforts failed.

The decision followed week-long discussions at the exiles' base in Dharamshala in northern India that sought to offer new guidance to the Buddhist spiritual leader, 49 years after he fled Tibet.

"The majority were for a continuation of the 'middle way' policy" of compromise with Chinese authorities, said Karma Chophel, speaker of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

"But quite a number said if the 'middle way' did not produce any results in the near future, then the people will be forced to switch the policy to complete independence or a demand for self determination," Chophel said.

The Dalai Lama had summoned nearly 600 leading exiles to the gathering after admitting his "middle way" approach of attempting to secure concessions from China had failed to achieve a breakthrough.

A number of participants had called for the approach to be replaced by an unequivocal demand for independence.

But most expressed equally strong opinions against dropping the policy, saying the shift would lose Tibetans international support and further antagonise Beijing.

"His policy is practical," Jamyang Jinpa, a 29-year-old monk attending the meeting, told AFP. "It's one that can move with the times."

Delegates had divided into 15 committees, each of which presented a report, and the final consensus was decided Saturday.

Lhadon Thethorg, a delegate and New York president of Students for a Free Tibet, said the meeting had heard many calls for independence, but she accepted that her hopes of a significant policy change had been dashed.

"We are in a democratic system, but the opinion of the majority may not be the right one," she said.

"Whether for the 'middle way' or independence for Tibet, people are calling for more vigorous action," she said on the final day of the talks.

Among those at the gathering backing a pro-independence policy was Tendon Dahortsang, 28, European president of the Tibetan Youth Association.

"It's clear that dialogue is not working," she said. "We can't wait for China to change. We have to push for it."

China on Friday moved to pre-empt the meeting's decision, accusing the Dalai Lama of covertly campaigning for independence.

In a commentary published by the official Xinhua news agency, the Dalai Lama's insistence that he is only seeking autonomy for Tibet was again flatly rejected.

"When conditions are ripe, they will seek to realise 'complete Tibet independence'," it said.

The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, had asked followers for fresh guidance after expressing frustration that his "middle way" had made no headway.

"I have to accept failure," he said on a recent visit to Japan. "Suppression (in Tibet) is increasing and I cannot pretend that everything is OK."

In March, protests against Chinese rule in the capital, Lhasa, erupted into violence that spread to other areas of western China with Tibetan populations.

Tibet's government-in-exile said more than 200 Tibetans were killed in a subsequent Chinese crackdown.

Ahead of the week of debates, 17,000 Tibetans still living in China were consulted, said the speaker of the government-in-exile.

The meeting has no policy-making power -- any recommendations would need the approval of the exiled Tibetan parliament -- but lawmakers have vowed to follow its lead.

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