US President George W Bush raised concerns over the situation in Tibet with the Chinese President today, according to the White House.
Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, said Mr Bush telephoned Hu Jintao and encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives.
Chinese authorities claim 22 people have died in the recent Tibet anti-government riots in Lhasa, but Tibetan rights groups said nearly 140 Tibetans were killed, including 19 in Gansu province.
In another development, China is escorting foreign journalists on a three-day tour of Tibet.
The three-day media trip comes as online anger mounts over what some in China are calling biased Western reporting.
With pressure on Beijing building, French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned he could boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
A group of about a dozen Beijing-based journalists headed today to the Himalayan region, where officials said they would be allowed to speak with victims of violent protests and shown properties destroyed in days of rioting.
'The organisers will arrange interviews with victims of the criminal acts and also visits to those places that were looted or burned,' a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Foreign reporters have been barred from visiting Tibet and neighbouring Chinese provinces with large Tibetan populations affected by the unrest, making it nearly impossible to independently verify the number of dead and arrested.
China says more than 660 people have surrendered themselves to authorities over the unrest.
RTÉ.ie News Feature: Europe puts China under pressure over Tibet
