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Dharamshala, India:
This article comes with a great photo of Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama, here: http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=23151&article=Tibetan+Government+congratulates+Obama+on+presidential+victory
Kelsang Yangkyi Takla, kalon (minister) for the Department of Information and International Relations of the Tibetan Government-in-exile on Wednesday congratulated the president-elect Barack Obama on winning the historic election to the post of president of the United States.
In her congratulatory message, the Tibetan minister expressed her wish that Mr Barack Obama's courage and wisdom will guide the United States to peace and prosperity. Kalon Takla expressed her hope that under the president-elect Barack Obama, the United States will continue to enjoy peace and prosperity. She raised hope that given the United States' strong advocacy of human rights and freedom, the administration under Mr Obama leadership will continue to extend the same support for the people of Tibet.
In July this year, at the height of his presidential campaign, Obama sent a letter to the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama to assure him of his highest respect and support for the cause of Tibet.
"I will continue to support you and the rights of Tibetans. People of all faiths can admire what you are doing and what you stand for," Obama wrote in the letter.
Expressing regret that their respective travel schedules did not permit a meeting during the Tibetan leader's the then visit to the U.S., Obama wrote:
"I look forward to meeting you at another time. I hope that this letter will make clear that American attention to and backing for the people of Tibet is widespread and transcends the divisions of our political contest in this important election year. The right to practice their religious beliefs without punishment or obstruction is one that should be accorded the people of Tibet, and I will continue to encourage the Chinese government to put aside its suspicions and act in accordance with its own Constitution."
Before the San Francisco leg of the torch relay this year, Barack Obama issued a statement in which he joined calls for President George W. Bush to consider a boycott of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing games if the "Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to
respect the dignity, security, and human rights of the Tibetan people".
Before the games, when asked whether he, as president, would convey legitimacy on the Chinese government's actions in Tibet by attending the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, Obama said,
"In the absence of some sense of progress, in the absence of some sense from the Dalai Lama that there was progress, I would not have gone."
In September this year, while outlining his proposed China policies, Barack Obama argued that the protection of human rights in China and Tibet "Will not weaken China as its leaders may fear, but will provide long term stability and prosperity ... Protection of the unique cultural and religious traditions of the Tibetan people is an integral part of such an agenda."
