by Benjamin Yeh

TAIPEI, March 13 (AFP) - Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui is arranging an historic meeting with the Dalai Lama when he visits the nationalist island for the first time this month, a presidential spokesman said Thursday.

The presidential office spokesman told AFP by telephone that "arrangements for the encounter are being made," but he declined to elaborate.

A meeting between China's two arch rivals is likely to whip up an angry reaction from Beijing, which has already warned against it going ahead amid growing rumours that it was in the offing.

In an apparant bid to appease Beijing's wrath, the Dalai Lama released a statement through the Taiwan Buddhist organization which invited him insisting the visit would not be political.

"Although my visit to Taiwan is purely religious, some insist it be motivated by political reasons," the Tibetan spiritual leader said.

He said he was looking forward to his six-day trip which begins on March 22 and moved to calm Beijing anger about the trip.

"As a Tibetan, I am particularly concerned about Chinese people, whether they are in the Chinese mainland or outside of China ... We must co-exist, and that is an undeniable fact," the Dalai Lama said.

He seized the occasion to emphasize that what the Tibetans had done in the past was not intended to "oppose Chinese" nor was it meant "to fight China".

Beijing reacted angrily on Thursday at earlier reports that Lee might be planning to meet the Dalai Lama and host a banquet for him.

Although there has been no specific confirmation that Lee will meet with 20 the Dalai Lama, all the indications point to a likely meeting.

"We stand firmly against any act in any form which is designed to split the motherland," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Cui Tiankai said.

"The Taiwan authorities should adopt a prudent and sensible attitude and refrain from any actions to undermine the unity of the motherland or harm national solidarity," he added.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of counter-revolution and attempting to create independence for Tibet, and has frequently laid similar charges against Lee over Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province.

Lee has said on several occasions that he wants to meet with the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 following an abortive anti-Chinese uprising. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has since lived in exile in India.

Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 at the end of a bloody civil war, although both sides still hold reunification as their ultimate goal.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister John Chang previously said he would not meet the Dalai Lama so as not to further strain ties with Beijing.

China has suspended all bilateral talks in retaliation for Lee's visit to the United States in 1995 seen as bid to promote independence, after which it launched war games in the Taiwan Straits.