The White House announced last week that President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama will meet on Thursday.
Dalai Lama left Kangra airport on Tuesday for the national capital New Delhi. He will depart for Washington on Wednesday.
[Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile]:
"His Holiness has left for Washington on the invitation of President Barack Obama and it was decided long time before when his high level delegation was sent here last year and since then the President was looking forward to this meeting and on the 18th they will meet."
Rinpoche says that Tibetans are hoping for a good outcome out of the meeting.
[Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile]:
"It is not very unusual. So it was a long pre-planned meeting and we hope all will be well."
Previous U.S. presidents, including Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, have met the Dalai Lama, drawing angry words from the Chinese communist regime, but no substantive reprisals.
Tensions between Beijing and Washington have risen in recent months on a range of issues from their trade imbalance to the U.S. plan to sell $6.4 billion of weapons to Taiwan.
The Dalai Lama has said he wants a high level of autonomy for his homeland, which he fled in 1959.
