From correspondents in Himachal Pradesh, India, 12:01 AM IST

The Tibetan government-in-exile Tuesday mourned the demise of Otto Graf Lambsdorff, a prominent figure in West German politics who had championed the cause of Tibet on various international fora.

'On behalf of the Kashag (Tibetan cabinet), we mourned the demise of Lambsdorff,' acting prime minister Tsering Phuntsok said in a condolence message to Lambsdorff's family, according to a the website of the government-in-exile here.

'In his passing away, we (Tibetans) have lost a steadfast friend who did so much to advance the just cause of the Tibetan people.

'Under his chairmanship of the Friedrich-Naumann Stiftung, the Central Tibetan Administration has been able to organise the International Tibet Support Groups Conferences in Bonn in 1996, in Berlin in 2000, in Prague in 2003 and in Brussels in 2007,' he said.

Lambsdorff died at the age of 82 Dec 4 in Bonn. He was honorary chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which currently is junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right governing coalition.

Dharamsala is the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile, which is not recognised by any country.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)