New York Times - April 19, 1997

The Dalai Lama is coming to Washington next week and would like to talk to President Clinton about what the United States can do to help ease China's tightening stranglehold on his country, Tibet.

But, fearful of annoying China, President Clinton is reluctant to have a formal meeting with this worldwide symbol of peace and reconciliation.

Yesterday the President met with Martin Lee, Hong Kong's leading democracy activist.

But Mr. Clinton declined a full meeting and instead merely dropped into a meeting between Mr. Lee and Vice President Gore.

The Dalai Lama's spiritual leadership has prevented violence in Tibet. He does not call for Tibetan independence, as many want, but merely autonomy. He would like the United States to take a more active role in promoting dialogue between him and the leaders in Beijing, a dialogue the Clinton Administration supports. He also would like the President to press Beijing to stop flooding Tibet with ethnic Chinese.

Beijing is trying to dilute Tibetan opposition by paying people from other regions extraordinarily high salaries and perks if they move there. Tibet's major cities are now largely Chinese, and many Tibetans feel their culture is being drowned.

President Bush met with the Dalai Lama, but Mr. Clinton has only dropped into his meetings with others.

At these drop-bys, photographs are not distributed until days later, which dampens news coverage.

White House officials say the Dalai Lama will meet someone in the White House next week, but if it is the President, it will likely be in a drop-by.

Last month the White House declined to welcome Jose Ramos-Horta, an East Timor activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, because it would have angered East Timor's occupier, Indonesia. Men like Mr. Ramos-Horta, Martin Lee and the Dalai Lama deserve a bear hug from the President. The White House's timidity only encourages China and Indonesia to continue their bullying.