Dharamshala: The US Ambassador to India, Timothy J. Roemer, is set to arrive in Dharamshala later today (Wednesday) for a two-day visit which will include a meeting with Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.Roemer has been declared a Himachal Pradesh State guest, and as such will be greeted by officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile, including Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche, in a ceremonial welcome upon his arrival at Kangra airport. He is accompanied on the trip by his wife.
Later today the Ambassador will attend the inauguration of a new reception centre for Tibetan refugees in Lower Dharamshala, and tomorrow he will pay a visit to a Tibetan school for children before having an audience with His Holiness, whom he met once before in Delhi.
During their meeting the pair are expected to discuss issues relating to Tibet and Tibetan exiles, with the Dalai Lama's private secretary Chimme Choekyapa affirming "Everything is positive. The outcome will also be positive."
Dharamshala has seen several high-level visits by officials over the past three years, from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in March 2008, to a group visit in 2009 led by White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, accompanied by US State Dept. Under Secretary Marie Otero.
Otero, who is also the US government's special coordinator for Tibetan issues, met with Tibetan officials earlier this month in India, Nepal and Bhutan to review the 'specific challenges' faced by exiled Tibetans in the region.
Roughly 140,000 Tibetans are now living in exile, with over 100,000 of them residing in India.
