 The Russian delegate said that "China's sovereignty over Tibet had been recognized for a long time by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the U.S.S.R." The United Nations postponed this matter on the grounds that Tibet was officially an "autonomous nationality region belonging to territorial China", and because the outlook of peaceful settlement seemed good.Subsequently, "The Agreement Between the Central Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Method for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet", also known as Seventeen-Point Agreement, was signed between delegates of China and Tibet on 23 May 1951.The Dalai Lama, despite the massive Chinese military presence, had ample time and opportunity to repudiate and denounce the Seventeen-Point Agreement.