New Delhi - A top US official met the Dalai Lama Friday in India and expressed support for the Tibetan cause, saying freedom-loving people all over the world needed to speak out against China's actions in Tibet. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, said the situation in Tibet was a challenge for the world while addressing a gathering of Tibetan leaders and people, including the Dalai Lama, in the northern hill town of Dharamsala, seat of the Dalai Lama-led Tibetan government in exile.
"We recognize the courage of the Tibetan people," Pelosi, a Democrat, said. "I hope we can help."
In her brief speech shown on Indian television channels, Pelosi said: "Speaking for myself, if freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak for Tibet, speak out against China and China in Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to talk on human rights anywhere in the world."
Pelosi's meeting with the Dalai Lama was fixed before deadly violence broke out in Tibet this month after the 49th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
Pelosi, who was accompanied by a nine-member congressional delegation, has always been vocal in her support for the Tibetan cause and was instrumental in the US decision to award the Dalai Lama the Congressional Medal, the United States' top civilian honour, last year.
Hundreds of Tibetans gathered outside the Dalai Lama's residence to greet Pelosi, NDTV reported. They waved flags and posters saying, "Thank you for your support."
