Obama to meet Dalai on Feb. 18

Feb 13, 2010

Washington/Beijing, Feb. 12: US President Barack Obama will meet the Dalai Lama at the White House on February 18, notwithstanding a warning from China that it could cause "further damage" to bilateral ties.

"The President looks forward to an engaging and constructive dialogue" with the Dalai on Thursday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

This would be the first meeting between the Dalai Lama and Mr Obama since the latter became US President. However, Mr Obama will hold talks with the Dalai in the Map Room and not in the Oval Office. Mr Gibbs said no US President has met the Dalai in the Oval Office, where he usually meets visiting world leaders.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu asked Washington to immediately cancel Mr Obama’s plans to meet the Dalai.

"We urge the US side to fully understand the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, honour its commitment to recognising Tibet as part of China and opposing ‘Tibet independence’," Mr Ma said in a statement.

The US should cancel the meeting "so as not to cause further damage to Sino-US relations, he said. —PTI

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