Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, will visit the United States next month for a three-week trip during which he is expected to meet President George W. Bush.
Spokesman Tenzin Takhla said the main purpose of the trip, beginning on September 4th, was to deliver a "major Buddhist teaching" in New York. The Dalai Lama would visit four other cities including Washington, he said.
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The Dalai Lama will meet
President George W. Bush next month |
The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala, would also meet Congressional leaders and senior US administration officials, Takhla said.
The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He says he seeks autonomy for Tibet and not separation from China. Nevertheless, his foreign visits invariably anger China.
He has previously visited the United States where the suppression of Tibetan nationalism by Beijing has made the fate of Tibet a deeply emotive issue.
In May 2001 Mr Bush went further than previous presidents and hosted a 30-minute meeting in the White House with the Dalai Lama during which Mr Bush offered his strong support to the Tibetan leader. China accused the United States of encouraging Tibetan independence activists.
Ties between China and the Dalai Lama have since improved and his envoys have visited Beijing twice in the past year for talks with Chinese officials in what is seen as an attempt by China to seek a political solution to the Tibet issue.