Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama looks on during a public meeting in Tawang, near the frontier with Chinese-controlled Tibet, Arunachal Pradesh state, India. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs confirmed to reporters Thursday that the meeting would be in February but didn't specify a date. The Dalai Lama's secretary has said he will be in Washington on February 17-18.
Chinese leaders have urged Obama not to meet with the exiled Tibetan religious leader.
The White House says Obama told China's leaders last year that he would meet with the Dalai Lama, viewed by US leaders as a respected religious and cultural leader. Beijing says the Dalai Lama seeks to destroy China's sovereignty by pushing independence for Tibet.
