Kathmandu, Oct 6 (Inditop.com) As US President Barack Obama put off meeting the Dalai Lama till his own first official visit to China next month in a bid to improve Sino-American ties, the exiled Tibetan leader’s office glossed over the postponement, saying there was no question of Obama not meeting him.
“From the outset, there has been no question of President Obama not at the appropriate time meeting His Holiness, whom he holds in great esteem,” a press statement issued by the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy Gyaltsen Gyari said.
“Taking a broader and long-term perspective, His Holiness agreed to meet the president after the November US-China Summit.
“His Holiness conveyed to the president’s emissaries that he looks forward to meeting with the president later this year and thanks the president for his invitation.”
The Tibetan envoy said that the Dalai Lama had always been supportive of American engagement with China.
“Our hope is that the cooperative US-Chinese relationship that President Obama’s administration seeks will create conditions that support the resolution of the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people,” he said.
Gyari added that the US president’s decision to send a high-level delegation headed by his senior advisor and close friend Valerie Jarrett, accompanied by Under Secretary Maria Otero, Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, to Dharamsala, indicated a new approach on Tibet by the US administration.
