Obama calls Dalai Lama 'good friend,' inspiration

[WASHINGTON] US President Barack Obama on Thursday called the Dalai Lama a "good friend" and an inspiration for freedom.

The president, speaking at a closely watched prayer event in Washington with the lama in the audience, said Tibet's exiled spiritual leader was "a powerful example of what it means to practice compassion and who inspires us to speak up for the freedom and dignity of all human beings."

REUTERS