DHARAMSHALA: US President Barack Obama will meet the visiting Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at the White House today.
The White House said President Obama would meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his capacity as an internationally respected religious and cultural leader.
“The United States supported the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” approach of neither assimilation nor independence for Tibetans,” National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said.
“We are concerned about continuing tensions and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas of China. We will continue to urge the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, as a means to reduce tensions,” Hayden said.
The last meeting with President Obama and His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2011 drew angry reactions from the Chinese government.