Oct.17.- George W Bush attended the ceremony in Washington, the first time a sitting US president has appeared in public with the exiled Tibetan leader.

Chinese state media had warned it would "cast a shadow" over ties with the US.

Beijing has been accused of human rights abuses in Tibet, which its communist troops occupied in 1951.
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As he presented the medal, Mr Bush hailed the Nobel Peace Prize winner as a "universal symbol of peace and tolerance".

"I will continue to urge the leaders of China to welcome the Dalai Lama to China," Mr Bush said.

"They will find this good man to be a man of peace and reconciliation."

He said the US could not close its eyes to the plight of the religiously oppressed...

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