For the past five years, the Dalai Lama said he has been working through back channels to negotiate with Beijing in hopes of restarting direct talks with China to gain ``genuine autonomy'' for Tibet.

The spiritual leader, who planned to visit the White House today, is also contemplating making some conciliatory remarks during his Washington stay in response to an overture by China's president Jiang Zemin.

The Dalai Lama was meeting with Vice President Al Gore and President Bill Clinton was expected to drop by, as he has during previous visits.

Jiang, during his June summit meeting in Beijing with Clinton, said thedoor to dialogue is open as long as the Dalai Lama says Tibet is an inseparable part of China, that Taiwan is a province of China and that he doesn't seek independence for his homeland, although some Tibetans do.

``In a future Tibet, I will play no part politically,'' the Dalai Lama said in the VoA interview. ``To negotiate now with the Chinese government, that is my responsibility, that's why I'm doing it.''

But Chinese officials sent negative signals just ahead of the Dalai Lama's arrival in Washington over the weekend, calling him a ``splitist'' intent on independence and criticising him for meeting US officials.

The Dalai Lama was meeting Secretary of State Madeleine Albright today as well, although US officials say the contacts are solely in his capacity as a renowned spiritual leader.