Dalai Lama begins five-day visit to Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Oct 10 (AFP) - The Dalai Lama arrived here Sunday for a five-day visit promoting Tibetan music and culture.

On Sunday, the Tibetan spiritual leader opened the World Festival of Sacred Music before a crowd of thousands.

Later this week, he is to deliver an award in the name of the International Campaign for Tibet to former French first lady Danielle Mitterrand, former British diplomat Hugh Richardson and California philanthropist Richard Blum.

Also, star-studded reception in his honor is to be held by the American Buddhist Congress.

The Dalai Lama's visit comes just two months after his last trip to the United States, when he toured the midwest and spoke before a crowd of 25,000 in New York's Central Park.

The Dalai Lama heads a Tibetan government-in-exile based in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala, and remains a thorn in the side of China's efforts to improve its international standing, which have been hampered by allegations of human rights abuses in Tibet and elsewhere.