Bush to headline Dalai Lama tribute

President George W. Bush and top US lawmakers on Wednesday were to lead an unprecedented official US tribute to the Dalai Lama, bucking China's angry warnings of crippled Sino-US relations.In a 1:00 pm (1700 GMT) ceremony at the Capitol, Bush was to deliver brief remarks and hand Tibet's spiritual leader a US Congressional Gold Medal-the highest civilian award bestowed by US lawmakers.It will be the first time a sitting US president appears in public with the 72-year-old Buddhist figurehead, amid sharp objections from China, which has objected to what it sees as a "severe violation" of Sino-US relations.Past medal winners include former South African president Nelson Mandela; Mother Teresa of Calcutta; polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk; tough-guy Western actor John Wayne; singer Frank Sinatra; and the late pope John Paul II.Top Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives, as well as Holocaust author Elie Wiesel, were due to make remarks, while Hollywood star Richard Gere was to attend the ceremony.On Tuesday, Bush and the Dalai Lama met privately for 30 minutes in the ornate "Yellow Oval" room in the White House residence-far from the formal diplomatic trappings of the Oval Office in an effort to appease China."We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, adding that the point was to pay tribute to "a great spiritual leader" and endorse greater religious freedom in Tibet.China, which views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist bent on Tibetan independence, had denounced the events and urged Washington to cancel, while warning that going ahead could damage Sino-US ties."I wanted to express my appreciation to President Bush since he really took seriously the situation" in Tibet, aides quoted the Dalai Lama as saying after the talks."We have developed a close friendship."Mindful of Beijing's role in efforts to defuse the Iranian and North Korean nuclear crises, the White House appeared to placate China by toning down the symbolic overtones of Tuesday's meeting-declining to specify a time, or release a photograph, or say specifically what had been discussed."For the US Congress to take this action and the US leader to meet with the Dalai Lama is a severe violation of the norms of international relations," Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said earlier in Beijing."We express our extreme dissatisfaction and strong opposition.We urge the US side to cancel these activities,"he said, accusing the US of having "severely hurt" China's feelings and interfered in its internal affairs.The Dalai Lama arrived in Washington Monday and was greeted by a crowd of Tibetans clad in traditional dress, honoring the spiritual icon with blessings, songs and dances.He fled to India following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, and currently lives in the northern hill town of Dharamsala, which is also the seat of his government in exile.He says he only wants greater autonomy for his six million people, not independence for Tibet.China has ruled Tibet, a devoutly Buddhist land, since sending troops into the region in 1950, and officially "liberating" it from feudal rule a year later.China showed its displeasure by putting off a Berlin meeting of the UN Security Council's five permanent members and Germany on the Iranian nuclear crisis, a US State Department official said."I think they (the Chinese) had indigestion ... over the presence of certain spiritual leaders and an event in Congress,"said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity."It is extraneous to Iranian issues."Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao sidestepped questions over why Beijing had postponed Wednesday's meeting in Berlin to next week."Due to technical reasons, China will not attend the meeting on the Iranian nuclear issue ... but China's stance on Iran's nuclear problem remains unchanged," he said.However, Liu added that a meeting between Bush and the Dalai Lama "will seriously undermine China-US relations."While China's fury is now directed at the United States, it has also lashed out at Germany, Australia and other Western countries in recent months after their leaders met the Dalai Lama.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071017130038.zfi546z5&show_article=1

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