President Barack Obama was pressured to postpone a meeting with Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama until after his summit with Chinese leader Hu Jintao next month, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

The report said it would be the first time for Dalai Lama's visit to Washington and not meet with the US president.

The U.S. decision to postpone the meeting appears to be part of a strategy to improve ties with China.

Dalai Lama has visited Washington ten times since 1991. He will visit Washington, DC, this time from October 5-10, hosted by the International Campaign for Tibet.

He will also attend a conference with top scientists, speak at a seminar on the importance of Tibetan Buddhist culture to the world and receive a human rights award from the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.

The former US president George W. Bush had met with Dalai Lama publicly in 2007 and awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian award.

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