Washington: As President Barack Obama faced criticism for putting off a meeting with the Dalai Lama until after his China trip next month, the White House defended the move saying a strong relationship with Beijing helps the Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama and his supporters "understand a strong relationship-a stronger relationship that we have with China benefits the Tibetan people," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday.
Denying as "simply inaccurate" reports that Obama had postponed the meeting until after his November summit with Chinese leader Hu Jintao to gain favour with China, he said: "We`re concerned about the people in Tibet and we`re concerned about the Chinese."
Asked if the president was not meeting with the Dalai Lama this week because he was worried about irritating Chinese leaders before his visit, Gibbs said: "There was an agreement to do this (meeting with the Dalai Lama) later in the year, and that`s what`s going to happen.
"It`s important that Tibetans - Tibetan people know that our relationship, our strong relationship with China helps them. So I think this was mutually agreed upon, and it`s what`s going to happen," he added.
"Our relationship with China - having a strong relationship and a good dialogue with them allows us to talk to them about the cares and concerns of the Tibetan people," Gibbs said adding "I believe we have mentioned human rights in meeting with the Chinese."
The Obama spokesman said in discussions with the Dalai Lama and his staff it was agreed that a meeting would be had later in the year. " It`s the time in which both parties thought it would be the best time to meet," he said but could not give a precise date.
But even as Obama was strategically avoiding the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader was at the Capitol Tuesday picking up a prize for fighting for human rights.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime China critic, presented him the Lantos Human Rights Prize, named after the late Democrat Representative Tom Lantos, a human rights proponent, who was the only member of Congress to survive the Holocaust. He died of throat cancer last year.
"The Dalai Lama is one of the most highly honoured peacemakers of our time," Pelosi said expressing the hope that the Chinese government would take up the Dalai Lama`s offer of direct engagement and work towards a peaceful resolution of the Tibetan issue.
"For more than 20 years His Holiness has advocated for Tibetan autonomy within the framework of the People`s Republic of China. His Holiness has expressed a desire to visit China and to engage directly with Chinese officials," she said.
"It is our hope that the Chinese government will welcome this opportunity for a peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet," Pelosi said.
"The cause of Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world. We must not fail to meet that challenge. In fact, unless we speak out for human rights in China and in Tibet, we lose all moral authority to talk about human rights anywhere in the world," she said.
Bureau Report
