President Obama met yesterday in the Map Room of the White House with the Dalai Lama, spiritual head of the Tibetan Buddhists and until his retirement in 2011 head of the exiled Tibetan government. As reported by
CNN, the meeting angered the Chinese who see the Dalai Lama as the head of a separatist movement. In a statement (
full text) issued after the meeting, the White House said:
The President and the Dalai Lama discussed the situation for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China, and the President emphasized his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions and the equal protection of human rights of Tibetans in China....
... [T]he President reiterated the longstanding U.S. position that Tibet is a part of the People’s Republic of China, and the United States does not support Tibetan independence. The Dalai Lama stated that he is not seeking independence for Tibet and hopes that dialogue between his representatives and the Chinese government will resume.
