In a move that is set to anger China yet again, President Barack Obama is slated to at a public event in Washington this week that will also be attended by the Dalai lama. The US President and the Tibetan spiritual leader have met thrice in the past, but all these have been held behind closed doors in a calculated diplomatic move not to irk Beijing beyond a point.
But the upcoming annual National Prayer Breakfast on February 5 will mark the first time that the two will be seen together at a public event. Organisers have been quoted as saying that both have been invited to the event, where Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks on the importance of religious freedom. A White House official said they did not have any “specific meeting” to announce between Obama and the 79-year-old spiritual leader, who is accused by Beijing as someone fomenting unrest in Tibet in a bid to split it from China.
“The President is a strong supporter of the Dalai lama’s teachings and preserving Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions,” National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said, adding: “As he has done in the past, the President will see many religious leaders at the event, but we don’t have any specific meeting with the Dalai lama to announce.”
When the Dalai lama visited Washington a year ago, Obama met him in the Map Room of the White House instead of the West Wing that is regarded as the seat of power and where the US President receives international leaders. Even so, China was quick to attack the US for meddling in its internal affairs.