第四，協(xié)議在相互尊重和友好協(xié)商的基礎(chǔ)上達(dá)成。協(xié)議大部分條款是關(guān)于西藏內(nèi)部關(guān)系和內(nèi)部事宜的處理。在這些問(wèn)題上，中央人民政府全權(quán)代表依據(jù)中央人民政府的民族政策和西藏地區(qū)的實(shí)際情況，主動(dòng)提出了一系列建議。西藏地方政府談判代表團(tuán)也提出了若干建議。中央人民政府對(duì)正確的部分加以采納和研究綜合，并對(duì)不合理的部分進(jìn)行了耐心的解釋。西藏地方政府代表土丹旦達(dá)根據(jù)切身經(jīng)歷談道：“我作為譯倉(cāng)派出的僧官，在談判過(guò)程中對(duì)宗教信仰、寺廟收入等提的建議較多，中央大都采納了。”談判一開(kāi)始就搞了漢、藏兩種協(xié)議文本，每一次修改兩種文本都同步進(jìn)行，并得到了西藏地方政府談判代表團(tuán)的同意。談判結(jié)束后，漢、藏兩個(gè)文本同時(shí)產(chǎn)生，并在簽訂后予以一并公布。

　　西藏地方政府全體談判代表作為全權(quán)代表，在正式談判前協(xié)商立下如下工作原則：“能做主的問(wèn)題就立即定下來(lái)，不能解決的，向亞?wèn)|報(bào)告”；來(lái)不及請(qǐng)示時(shí)，“作為全權(quán)代表可以先定下來(lái)，再向達(dá)賴(lài)?yán)飯?bào)告”。西藏地方政府談判代表團(tuán)向達(dá)賴(lài)?yán)锖透翉B的請(qǐng)示渠道始終通暢，就哪些問(wèn)題請(qǐng)示由他們內(nèi)部協(xié)商確定。談判開(kāi)始不久，關(guān)于人民解放軍進(jìn)入西藏問(wèn)題，西藏地方政府談判代表通過(guò)凱墨·索安旺堆和土丹旦達(dá)帶來(lái)的密碼機(jī)向在亞?wèn)|的達(dá)賴(lài)?yán)锖透翉B發(fā)了電報(bào)，說(shuō)明談判中其他方面問(wèn)題都不大，就是如不承認(rèn)人民解放軍進(jìn)藏守衛(wèi)國(guó)家邊疆，談判恐怕談不成。其間，他們還在與班禪的關(guān)系問(wèn)題上，同“亞?wèn)|噶廈”聯(lián)系過(guò)兩次。在20多天的談判中，雖然雙方代表在一些問(wèn)題上有爭(zhēng)論和不同意見(jiàn)，但始終是在友好真誠(chéng)、充分協(xié)商的氣氛中進(jìn)行的，最終就有關(guān)和平解放西藏的所有問(wèn)題達(dá)成協(xié)議。在協(xié)議簽訂儀式上，雙方代表在協(xié)議文本上簽名，并加蓋了個(gè)人圖章，以示鄭重。

Fourth, the Agreement was reached on the basis of mutual respect and friendly negotiations. Most terms of the Agreement were about how to handle internal relations and affairs of Tibet. For these issues, the plenipotentiary representatives of the Cen-tral People’s Government took initiatives to offer some propos-als in line with the ethnic policy of the central government and the reality in Tibet. The Tibetan representatives also raised their suggestions. The Central People’s Government studied and adopted some, while patiently explaining the reasons for not accepting others. Representative Tubdain Daindar talked about his experience of the talks: “As an ecclesiastic official from the Yitsang (Secretariat), I offered many suggestions about religious beliefs, monastery income and some other related issues, most of which were adopted by the central government.” A Han-language version and a Tibetan-language one of the Agreement were prepared from the very beginning of the talks. And every revision made in both versions was only with consent from the Tibetan delegation. After the talks, both versions were signed and issued together.

As plenipotentiary representatives from the local govern-ment of Tibet, they discussed and established the following principles before formal talks: “Plenipotentiary representatives shall quickly decide on terms that they can decide on, and report to the Kashag in Yadong those that they cannot settle”; and when there was not enough time, “the plenipotentiary representatives can decide first and then report to the Dalai Lama.” The channel for the Tibetan delegation to ask for instructions from the Dalai Lama and the Kashag was always unimpeded, and the representatives discussed among themselves for which items they would request instructions. Soon after the talks started, the issue of the PLA’s entry into Tibet arose. The Tibetan represent-atives telegraphed the Dalai Lama and the Kashag in Yadong via cryptograph brought by Kemai Soinam Wangdui and Tubdain Daindar, saying that there would not be a big problem regarding most of the items, but if the local government of Tibet did not permit the PLA to enter Tibet, the talks could fail. During the talks, they contacted the Kashag in Yadong twice regarding its relationship with the Panchen Lama. During the 20-odd-day talks, although representatives from the two sides disagreed on some items, the talks went on in a friendly and sincere atmos-phere and with full consultation. At the signing ceremony, the representatives of the two sides signed and sealed both versions of the Agreement.