TIBET-ENVOY • EUROPE

President Obama gives ’strong support’ to Dalai Lama during meeting

Times Online - 18 February 2010

President Obama told the Dalai Lama of his “strong support” for preservation of Tibet’s identity today and encouraged talks between the exiled leader and China.

After private White House talks between the pair, spokesman Robert Gibbs said the President had stated support for “the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans” in China.

“The President commended the Dalai Lama’s ’Middle Way’ approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government,” Mr Gibbs added.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, the Dalai Lama declared himself “very happy” and said Mr Obama was “very much supportive.”

The meeting was kept low key in deference to anger in China. Beijing considers the Buddhist monk a separatist, and Mr Obama wanted to avoid overly angering China when its cooperation is needed on a range of global issues.

Beforehand, China had warned that Mr Obama was damaging relations by going ahead with the meeting. “China resolutely opposes the visit by the Dalai Lama to the United States, and resolutely opposes US leaders having contact with the Dalai Lama,” Ma Zhaoxu, the foreign ministry spokesman, said.

Supporters chanted and waved Tibetan and US flags in snowy Lafayette Square across from the White House to welcome the spiritual leader, who has now met every sitting US president since George Bush Snr in 1991.