The speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has discussed the recent anti-Chinese disturbances in Tibet with the Dalai Lama.
Ms Pelosi travelled to northern India for the meeting and is the highest ranking US politician to meet the Dalai Lama since the unrest started.
She said Tibet is a 'challenge to the world's conscience' and called for an international probe to clear the Dalai Lama's name and an investigation into the situation in Tibet.
China's crackdown on anti-government protests in Tibet, which it says were orchestrated by the Dalai Lama, has drawn sharp international criticism and clouded preparations for the Beijing Olympics.
With security forces pouring into Tibet and other Tibetan-populated areas of China, rights groups and activists are warning of mass arrests and the possible torture of those taken into custody.
Faced with international concern over its handling of the unrest, state media acknowledged yesterday for the first time that police had opened fire on protestors.
Officially, China has says 13 people were killed in the rioting that broke out in Lhasa and spread to other areas.
It says the victims were all innocent civilians killed by Tibetan 'mobs.'
But the exiled Tibetan government says it has confirmed that at least 99 people were killed in the Chinese crackdown.
The protests began last week to mark the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Beijing's rule of the vast Himalayan region, amid widespread anger over what Tibetans say have been brutal and repressive policies.
