New Delhi: The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has said he did not want to be the cause for escalation of tensions between India and China and felt that his host for six decades had stayed firm against China in recent months.
"I did not want things to escalate between India and China," Dalai Lama told private news channel in an interview to be broadcast Monday.
China had protested sharply when Dalai Lama visited the Indian province of Arunachal Pradesh, which the former claims as southern Tibet.
Indian leaders had pointed out that as an "honoured guest", the Dalai Lama was free to travel anywhere in India - but was not allowed to make political statements as a refugee in the country.
The Tibetan leader who fled to India about five decades ago said that he had been worried about his visit to Tawang in light of the Chinese rhetoric.
"I was very anxious before going to Tawang," he said.
The Dalai Lama added that India had remained firm on its position despite intense pressure from China. "I think India has stood firm with China in recent months," he said.
He also defended US President Barack Obama who had been criticised for not putting much pressure on China over the Tibet issue.
"Obama is not soft on China; just has a different style," said the Dalai Lama, who said that he was "not disappointed" over the failure of Obama to meet him.
He added that he believed that the US President would discuss the issue with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Washington. "I think Obama and the PM will discuss Tibet in Washington," he said.
IANS
First Published: Sunday, November 22, 2009, 17:21