WASHINGTON, September 9 – The Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, said he found Secretary of State Colin Powell “very sympathetic” on Tuesday when they met at the State Department in Washington.
“Very good (meeting), like a reunion, since I know him. Always very sympathetic, very good conversation,” the Dalai Lama told reporters after the meeting, his first with a senior member of the Bush administration during this visit.
The Dalai Lama is also expected to see President Bush during his four-day visit, despite Chinese opposition.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement last month that Beijing had asked the United States not to let the Dalai Lama visit “to engage in activities to split China.”
“We have already made representations to the U.S. on this and urged the American government to strictly abide by its recognition of Tibet as a part of China,” the ministry said.
The United States and the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile since 1959, say they do not favor Tibetan independence but only greater autonomy for the Tibetan people.
The United States also favors dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama, but the Bush administration has given the future of Tibet a lower priority in talks with China than the previous Clinton administration gave it.
Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky, who is also U.S. special coordinator for Tibetan issues, attended the meeting between Powell and the Dalai Lama, an official said. The U.S. side did not comment on the meeting.
