Meeting with the Dalai Lama -- Map Room, White House, USA

from POLITICO coverage (www.politico.com/ )

President Obama spent 44 minutes of his Saturday morning with the Dalai Lama at the White House.

The meeting, announced late Friday, finally put an end to mounting speculation about whether the Tibetan religious leader would get an invite to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
“The President reiterated his strong support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions of Tibet and the Tibetan people throughout the world,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a readout of the meeting. “He underscored the importance of the protection of human rights of Tibetans in China.”
Obama reiterated to the Tibetan leader the U.S. policy that Tibet is a part of the People’s Republic of China and that the administration does not support Tibetan independence, Carney added.
The timing of the weekend meeting, which took place in the Map Room of the White House, suggested the administration’s determination to attach as little pomp and publicity to the visit as possible. Until Friday, the White House had kept silent about a possible meeting after the exiled leader arrived in Washington on July 6; Saturday marks the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s last day in the nation’s capital.