Advertisement

No Dalai Lama meeting

By United Press International
The Dalai Lama arrives for the afternoon panel discussion at the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit at the University of British Columbia's Chan Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, September 27, 2009. UPI /Heinz Ruckemann
The Dalai Lama arrives for the afternoon panel discussion at the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit at the University of British Columbia's Chan Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, September 27, 2009. UPI /Heinz Ruckemann | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The White House called off a proposed meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama.

The meeting is still expected to take place but not until Obama returns from a November trip to Beijing. White House meetings with the Dalai Lama have angered the Chinese leadership, which sees the Dalai Lama as a rebel leader.

Advertisement

It will be the first time in nearly two decades a visit to Washington by the Dalai Lama hasn't included a meeting with the sitting president.

The Obama administration may be leery of irritating Beijing, which holds billions in U.S. debt and has been among countries suggesting the U.S. dollar may not be the best currency on which to peg world transactions.