(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Following strong condemnation from China as President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama on Friday, the US has defended the visit and urged China to also pursue talks with the Tibetan Buddhist leader
"The Dalai Lama is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, an internationally revered religious and cultural leader," said State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf. "We meet with him in this capacity there's no change in US policy
"We do continue to urge the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives without pre-conditions as a means to reduce tensions," she added. "The United States considers Tibet a part of the People's Republic of China." The Dalai Lama has been a lifelong advocate for Tibetans, and continues to be critical of Chinese policies
Citing Secretary of State John Kerry's recent visit to Beijing, Harf described US-China ties as "a very broad bilateral relationship," and pointed to cooperation on the Iran nuclear deal as well as security issues pertaining to North Korea
"We don't always see eye to eye. When we -- when we can cooperate, we do. When we disagree, we are clear with each other, which is the mark of a partnership, that you can talk honestly and openly when you do disagree," she explained
Meanwhile, the White House press was also critical of Friday's meeting, after the White House refused access to photojournalists. Instead, the administration released its own photographs as well as a readout of what transpired between the two leaders
Reporters have lodged complaints for several months about being denied access to a number of Obama's meetings
"We have taken steps to open access and improve access," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. "But I never pledged and what I can't possibly pledge and what none of my successors in the history of this office will pledge, is that we're going to give access to every meeting the president has, even ones that are of profound interest to the press for understandable reasons.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.