22. Oct 2009
Obama will Raise Tibet Issue with President Hu
(Reuters) Defending President Obama's position on human rights advocacy, senior adviser Valerie Jarret said the US president would raise the issue of Tibet during his visit to China in November 2009. "There's no stronger advocate for human rights than President Obama", Jarrett told Reuters. She said President Obama had invited the Dalai Lama to a White House meeting "as early as December". "It's a very important relationship and we think that we can certainly have both", Jarrett said. "The President has a relationship with the Dalai Lama. He has a relationship with the Chinese". Jarrett led a delegation to Dharamsala in September 2009 to meet the Dalai Lama to convey President Obama's commitment to support the Tibetan people in protecting their distinct religious, linguistic, and cultural heritage and securing respect for their human rights and civil liberties.