DHARMSALA, India - Hundreds of Tibetan leaders agreed Saturday to continue to follow the Dalai Lama’s "middle path" of compromise with China, capping a rare meeting to discuss how to advance their struggle for freedom.

Tibetans from all over the world flocked to Dharmsala, home to the Dalai Lama and the self-declared government-in-exile, for the weeklong meeting. They debated whether to continue with the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader’s "middle path" that seeks substantial local autonomy for Tibet, or else to call for independence for the Himalayan region.