Dalai Lama says it is time to devolve power

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has announced a long-awaited plan to devolve his political responsibilities to an elected figure.

The Dalai Lama said he would begin the formal process of stepping down at a meeting of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile next Monday.

The announcement came in a speech by the Dalai Lama marking the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.

"As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power," he said at Dharamsala, the Indian town that has become his base.

"Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect," he said.