Dalai Lama meets US officials ahead of his visit to United States, spokesman says

Dalai Lama briefed about US approach to Tibet

DHARMSALA, India — A top adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama met Monday with the Dalai Lama and briefed him about the Obama administration’s approach to Tibet, the Dalai Lama’s office said in a statement.

Valerie Jarrett was accompanied by U.S. State Department Undersecretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, the statement said.

Jarrett met the Dalai Lama on both Sunday and Monday, the statement said. The meeting took place ahead of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visit to the United States early next month.

The Dalai Lama will be visiting New York and Washington Oct. 4-9 to deliver a religious lecture and participate in a conference on the theme of “Educating World Citizens in the 21st Century,” according to his official Web site.

In a statement posted online Monday, the Dalai Lama said he was “looking forward to meeting President Obama after his visit to China.”

An official with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was a personal visit. The official declined to provide further details.

Last month, the Dalai Lama visited Taiwan to comfort survivors of a devastating typhoon.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a “splittist” for promoting autonomy in the Chinese region of Tibet, and opposes visits to foreign countries that raise his profile.

The Dalai Lama has lived in Dharmsala since fleeing Tibet following a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule over the Himalayan region.

On the ‘Net:

The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama: www.dalailama.com/