Dalai Lama says Obama not soft on China

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Sunday U.S. President Barack Obama was not soft on China and said he hoped he would discuss Tibet with the Indian prime minister in Washington this week.

"Obama is not soft on China, he just has a different style," the Dalai Lama told the NDTV news channel in an interview.

Obama had called for a resumption of dialogue between the Dalai Lama's envoys and China to resolve the Tibet crisis during his just-concluded visit to Beijing.

The Tibetan government-in-exile said last week it was willing to talk to China following Obama's comments.

Chinese officials and envoys of the Dalai Lama have held eight rounds of talks, but little of substance has been achieved.

The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, said he was not disappointed over failing to meet Obama during his U.S. visit in October.

The Dalai Lama, dubbed a "splittist" by Beijing, says he is merely seeking autonomy for Tibet, which last year erupted in riots and protests against the Chinese presence.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits the United States this week to discuss regional issues, climate change and a nuclear deal.

(Reporting by Bappa Majumdar)