US Congress to award medal to Dalai Lama

The House of Representatives has joined the Senate in passing a Bill that will award the Dalai Lama, spiritual and exiled leader of Tibet the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honour.

The House on Wednesday passed a Bill to this effect with the Senate passing the same measure in May. The law states that the Congressional gold medals are required to be backed by two-thirds members of both the House and the Senate before the President can enact it into law.

The Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama had 387 co sponsors cutting across party lines in both the House and the Senate, representing more than the required two-thirds majority.

The medal has been awarded to such prominent personalities as Sir Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela.

"A negotiated settlement would ensure internal stability of Tibet and bolster China's reputation in the world," the House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, a strong supporter of the Dalai Lama and an original co-sponsor of the Bill said.