White House Statement on His Holiness’ Meeting with President Bush
WHITE HOUSE
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
September 10, 2003
12:49 P.M. EDT
MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everybody. Earlier today, the President met with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, you heard from the Dalai Lama outside. This was their second meeting to discuss Tibet. The President reiterated our strong commitment to support the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity, and the protection of the human rights of all Tibetans.
The President also declared his strong support for the Dalai Lama’s commitment to the dialogue with China. The President said he would seek ways to encourage China to continue the dialogue on a substantive basis, and expressed his hope that the Chinese government would respond favorably. The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of strong and constructive U.S.-China relations.