**The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, will meet the new US co-ordinator for Tibet in Washington, the US state department has said.**The Dalai Lama arrives on Monday and a meeting has been scheduled with the new co-ordinator, Maria Otero.
The Dalai Lama will also meet lawmakers but not President Barack Obama.
China, which took over Tibet by force in 1950, considers the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist and demands that other nations do not meet him.
The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 after Chinese troops crushed an attempted uprising.
Criticism
The Dalai Lama will spend a week in Washington after having travelled around North America for a fortnight giving spiritual teachings.
Mr Obama has indicated he will not meet the Dalai Lama, 74, until after visiting Beijing in November.
Tibetan figures in exile and human rights activists have criticised the US for putting economic issues first.
The spiritual leader has met all serving US presidents since George Bush in 1991.
Ms Otero was named as the state department coordinator for Tibet last Thursday.