Text: White House Press Secretary on Clinton-Dalai Lama Meeting
(White House backs efforts to start Tibetan-Chinese dialogue)

Following is the text of a White House statement on a June 20 meeting between President Clinton and the Dalai Lama:

(begin text)

Office of the Press Secretary
June 20, 2000

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
MEETING WITH THE DALAI LAMA

His Holiness, the XIV Dalai Lama, met at the White House this afternoon with the President and the National Security Advisor to discuss Tibet.

The President welcomed the Dalai Lama's commitment to nonviolence and declared his strong support for the Dalai Lama's steadfast efforts to initiate a dialogue with the Chinese government.

The President pledged his continued support for the Dalai Lama's effort to encourage dialogue and expressed his hope that the Chinese government will respond favorably.

The President reiterated the strong commitment of the United States to support preservation of Tibet's unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage and to the protection of human rights of Tibetans.

The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of strong and constructive U.S.-China relations.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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