The Dalai Lama on Saturday said he was hoping to meet US President Barack Obama early next year to discuss the issue of Tibet’s autonomy. He said he did not “insist” on meeting Obama earlier as the US administration was “slightly hesitant” about the meeting taking place before the President’s visit to China.

The Tibetan temporal head was addressing the media here after the conclusion of a two-day seminar organised by the Indian Federation of Working Journalists.

“They (US authorities) were perhaps of the view that President Obama could take up the Tibet issue with the Chinese government in a more conducive environment if he did not meet me before his visit (to China),” he said.

He reiterated that he was not a separatist “as is being propagated by China”. “Our demand is for genuine autonomy under the constitution of the People’s Republic of China,” he said.

Asked about his roadmap to solve the Tibet issue, the spiritual leader said eight rounds of talks have been held without any concrete results. “But this does not deter us and we will continue to make efforts to solve the issue,” he added. About the situation inside Tibet, the Dalai Lama said, “Times have changed, and the policies being pursued by China have become outdated. The time has come for China to change.”