WASHINGTON, 18 October 2007 — President Bush, raising the ire of Beijing, yesterday called on Chinese leaders to welcome the Dalai Lama to the communist nation. The president called him a “universal symbol of peace and tolerance, a shepherd of the faithful and a keeper of the flame for his people.”

“He has won the respect and affection of the American people,” Bush said at the US Capitol where the spiritual head of Tibet’s Buddhists received the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal.

“America cannot look to the plight of the religiously oppressed and close their eyes or turn away,” said Bush, who sat next to the Dalai Lama during the ceremony and personally handed the medal to him.

“It is a great honor for me to receive the Congressional Gold Medal,” said the Dalai Lama, who struggled to deliver remarks in English. “This recognition will bring tremendous joy and encouragement to the Tibetan people.”

China, which reviles the 72-year-old monk as a Tibetan separatist, vehemently protested the elaborate public ceremony. But at a news conference earlier in the day, Bush said that he did not think his attendance at the ceremony would damage US relations with China.

“I support religious freedom; he supports religious freedom. ...I want to honor this man,” Bush told reporters at the White House. “I have consistently told the Chinese that religious freedom is in their nation’s interest. I’ve also told them that it’s in their interest to meet with the Dalai Lama and will say so at the ceremony.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said this was the first time a US president has appeared in public with the Dalai Lama.

Top Democratic and Republican leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives, as well as Holocaust author Elie Wiesel, also made remarks, while Hollywood movie star Richard Gere, a longtime supporter of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, was also present at the ceremony.

But the Washington meetings have caused a diplomatic snafu with the Chinese, who loudly objected to the Washington reception, saying it sees the move as a “severe violation” of Sino-US relations.

China, which views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist bent on Tibetan independence, had denounced the events and had urged Washington to cancel the event, while warning that going ahead could damage Sino-US ties.

“We are furious,” Tibet’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, told reporters in China. “If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice or good people in the world.”

“We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, adding that the point was to pay tribute to “a great spiritual leader” and endorse greater religious freedom in Tibet.

Mindful of Beijing’s role in efforts to defuse the Iranian and North Korean nuclear crises, the White House appeared to placate China by toning down the symbolic overtones of Tuesday’s meeting — declining to specify a time, or release a photograph, or say specifically what had been discussed.

The Dalai Lama arrived in Washington Monday and was greeted by a crowd of Tibetans clad in traditional dress, honoring the spiritual icon with blessings, songs and dances.

Trying to play down the symbolism of the talks, Bush met the Dalai Lama in the White House residence instead of the Oval Office where he normally welcomes visiting world leaders.

White House staff, who had refused to say when the meeting would take place, afterward said it lasted half an hour but gave no further details. Reporters were not allowed to glimpse the two together and no photographs were released.

But a smiling Dalai Lama told journalists and a small group of cheering followers on Tuesday that his meeting with Bush had been “like a reunion of one family.”

The Dalai Lama also dismissed China’s anger. “That always happens,” he told reporters with a laugh outside his Washington hotel. — With additional input from agencies.