Dalai Lama to Visit WH on Saturday

POLITICO reports:

The White House announced late Friday that President Obama will meet with the Dalai Lama at the White House on Saturday, finally putting an end to mounting speculation about whether the Tibetan religious leader would get an invite to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

“This meeting underscores the President’s strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans,” the White House said in a statement. “The President will highlight his enduring support for dialogue between the Dalai Lama’s representatives and the Chinese government to resolve differences.”

The timing of the weekend meeting suggests 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.