Bush urges China to open dialogue with Dalai Lama

By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged China to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, saying Beijing would find the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader to be a "fine man."

His comments came as the Olympic torch was set to make its only relay in the United States, in San Francisco where large protests were expected. The torch relays have met with demonstrations protesting China's policies from its crackdown in Tibet to its human rights record.

"We both agreed that it would stand the Chinese government in good stead if they would begin a dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama," Bush said after meeting with Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

"They'll find if they ever were to reach out to the Dalai Lama they'd find him to be a really fine man, peaceful man, a man who is anti-violence," Bush said.

Bush has planned to attend the Olympics in China this summer and White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Wednesday there was "no change" to his schedule.

But after months of saying that Bush would definitely go to Beijing for the summer games, the White House recently has been slightly more cautious.

Several leading Democrats, including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, have called on Bush to boycott the Olympics opening ceremony in protest of the Chinese actions in Tibet.

"It is extremely premature for me to say what the president's schedule is going to be," Perino said.