WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuter) - The United States said on Wednesday that a controversy over identifying the reincarnation of Tibet's second holiest lama raised doubts about China's commitment to religious freedom.

State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns was commenting on Beijing's elimination of a candidate announced by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, as the recipient of the spirit of the 10th Panchen Lama, who died in 1989.

Burns said Washington was "discouraged and displeased that various events have occurred over the past couple of weeks which would infringe upon" the religious rights of Tibetan Buddhists.

"We believe that the continuing controversy over the selection of the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama raises additional questions about the Chinese government's commitment to respect for religious beliefs and the practices of the Tibetan Buddhists," Burns said.

He told a news briefing Washington was especially concerned about reports that senior Tibetan lamas may have been compelled to attend a meeting on the subject in Beijing.

Chinese sources said China has summoned about 75 senior lamas from the Himalayan region to Beijing and they began a meeting on Sunday to complete final ceremonies in the search for the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama.

The final three candidates did not include a six-year-old Tibetan boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, chosen last May by the Dalai Lama, the sources said.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that the Dalai Lama's "arbitrary selection" was "null and void" as it violated religious rules. China maintains it has final say over the appointment of senior lamas under terms of a 200-year-old agreement.

Burns said the United States could not comment on the mechanism for formally recognising a reincarnated lama. But he said: "Freedom of religious practice is guaranteed under China's constitution. And certainly all Americans believe that religious freedom is an essential right. "We call upon both the Chinese government and the Tibetan religious authorities in Tibet, and those in exile, to consult closely on this matter in a spirit of goodwill and in a spirit of tolerance," Burns added.