International
Senior US officials meet with Dalai Lama in New York
WASHINGTON — Senior officials from the US State Department and the White House met the Dalai Lama in New York on Aug 21 and "reaffirmed the US commitment to advancing the human rights of Tibetans", the State Department said. The meeting with the 89-
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The meeting with the 89-year-old exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism will likely irritate China, which considers him a dangerous separatist and opposes contact by officials of any country with him.
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, travelled to New York in June for medical treatment for his knees, his first visit to the United States since 2017.
A State Department statement said Uzra Zeya, the US Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights and special coordinator for Tibetan issues, travelled to New York for an audience with the Dalai Lama, joined by the White House director for human rights Kelly Razzouk.