President Obama to Meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Says White House[Wednesday, 3 February 2010, 2:17 p.m.]

File photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama receiving the US Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Sen. Robert Byrd, during a ceremony 17 October 2007 in the Capitol (Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images)

Dharamshala:
US President Barack Obama will go ahead with his plans to meet His
Holiness the Dalai Lama when he visits Washington next time, the White
House Deputy Press Secretary said Tuesday.His Holiness the
Dalai Lama will visit United States from 17 to 24 February. His
Holiness will give public talks on global compassion and world peace in
California and Florida.”The President told China’s leaders
during his trip last year that he would meet with the Dalai Lama, and
he intends to do so. The Dalai Lama is an internationally respected
religious and cultural leader, and the President will meet him in that
capacity,” Deputy Secretary Bill Burton said.He said the US
government has human rights concerns about the treatment of Tibetans.
We urge the government of China to protect the unique cultural and
religious traditions of Tibet,” Burton said.The Assistant
Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P J Crowley, said that China has
made its views clear to the U.S. on His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”Chinese
have made clear their views regarding meetings with the Dalai Lama,
regarding arms sales to Taiwan, and I think what we’re clearly
indicating is that we will continue to follow our national interest
just as we would expect China to follow its national interest,” he said.Responding
to China’s negative response to the future meeting between President
Obama and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Secretary for Information
Thubten Samphel said: “From our perspective, we feel the role of the
United States is to facilitate a just and honest dialogue between the
Dalai Lama’s envoys and the government of China.””So there is nothing wrong in a meeting between the president and His Holiness,” Mr Samphel told Agence France-Presse.”The
United States supports His Holiness’s approach that the issue of Tibet
must be resolved within the framework of the Chinese constitution,” he
said.”So we see no reason for China’s argument that such a meeting would undermine Sino-U.S. relations,” he added.