Washington DC: US President George Bush met Tibetan exiled leader H.H. Dalai Lama here today at White House. This was a private meeting and no press briefing was held nor any photographs were release by White House.
Tibetan leader’s visit who lives in exile in Himachal Pradesh’s hill town, Daharamsala, has sparked major controversy with China after he was announced congressional medal of honor winner. China has already shown its anger by pulling out of a major discussion on Iran.
The Dalai Lama will be awarded Congressional Gold Medal in Washington DC on Wednesday in a glittering ceremony where he will be honored for his fight for democracy, freedom, and Tibet’s cultural heritage through a negotiated settlement with Beijing based on autonomy within the People’s Republic.
White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino quoted “President Bush has attended the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor ceremonies. The most recent one that I can remember was the Tuskegee Airmen event that he attended. I think that was earlier this year. And he told President Hu when we were at APEC in Sydney that he would be attending this one, as well. And he is going to be proud to do so. He believes that the Dalai Lama is a strong spiritual leader, and he will have a private meeting with him today, and then he’ll attend tomorrow’s Gold Medal ceremony. And, as I told you, he told President Hu that he would and he’ll be proud to do so tomorrow”.
Dalai Lama is 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
