From Los Angeles Times :
On his two previous visits with President Bush, the Dalai Lama was escorted into the White House residence, rather than into the Oval Office — a subtle indication that he was being received as a spiritual rather than political leader. The purpose was to avoid irritating Chinese leaders, who see any official recognition of the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader as a sign of support for Tibetan independence.
But next week, when the Dalai Lama visits Washington, the Bush administration will alter the diplomatic pas de deux.
The president and First Lady Laura Bush will meet Tuesday with the Dalai Lama in the residential quarters of the White House. But the president will also encounter him the next day in a public and official setting: the Capitol, where the religious leader will receive the Congressional Gold Medal. [Full Text]
Read also China opposes US gold medal award to Dalai by Xinhua as well as ““I know this will swing it for us,” by the propagandists” from Beijing Newspeak blog, which looks at the recent barrage of anti-Dalai Lama propaganda in the Chinese official press.
