Washington, September 9 – Tibetan religious leader, the Dalai Lama, who is currently in Washington to attend the events commemorating the September 11 terror attacks, is expected to meet top US officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The Dalai Lama on his previous visits has met with both President George W Bush and Powell, and he will meet “appropriate US officials” this time too in his capacity as a religious leader, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said here today.
The Dalai Lama, who arrived here on Monday, is scheduled to meet Powell tomorrow and is also expected to meet Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky, he said.
“I would also say,” Boucher continued, “we are encouraged by the two visits that envoys from the Dalai Lama made to China over the past year. We hope that this process leads to substantial dialogue and a resolution of their longstanding areas of difference.
“The United States recognises Tibet as a part of China, in case you want to know,” he said.
The Tibetan spiritual leader would also meet leaders of the Senate and House committee relations and give a keynote address at a 20th anniversary event of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the Voice of America reported.
The Dalai, who is here at the invitation of the Washington National Cathedral will attend an interfaith ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
