John McCain to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Senator John McCain/File photo

"I've been a great admirer of his ... and look forward to meeting an individual who is a transcendent international role model and hero," the White House hopeful said ahead of the meeting in Aspen, Colorado.

"And I have admired him and respected him for the efforts he's made on behalf of freedom of the people of Tibet but also all over the world," McCain told reporters in Ohio, where he was to attend an event on cancer later in the day with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be speaking Friday at a three-day seminar at the Aspen Institute in Colorado that will bring together scholars, teachers and others to explore Tibet's history and culture, the Washington Post reported.

McCain, who has criticized China's crackdown on human rights in Tibet, already had a speech scheduled in Denver, and will then fly to Aspen for a private meeting with the Tibetan leader, the report said. He said the talks His Holiness the Dalai Lama were "mutually agreed to."

McCain, as is the case with many American politicians, has been a strong critic of China's crackdown on human rights in Tibet, and suggested that President Bush consider boycotting the opening ceremonies of the Bejing Olympics next month (the president is going anyway).

McCain issued a statement in March saying the "unfolding tragedy in Tibet should draw the attention of the entire world" and called His Holiness the Dalai Lama "a man of peace who reflects the hopes and aspirations of Tibetans."

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