'I welcome the recent statements by the Chinese government expressing its willingness to meet with representatives of the Dalai Lama, precisely what I had suggested (Chinese) President Hu Jintao do,' said Bush.

'It's important that there be a renewed dialogue - and that dialogue must be substantive so we can address, in a real way, the deep and legitimate concerns of the Tibetan people,' the US president said.

China has told the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader that, for the planned talks to succeed, he must end the protests in his homeland that erupted in March after demonstrations against five decades of Beijing's rule.

China has accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting the unrest and of doing so in an effort to sabotage the Beijing Olympics in August, while insisting he seeks Tibetan independence.

The Dalai Lama has rejected the allegations, which drew angry charges from Tibet's government-in-exile that more than 200 people had died in Beijing's crackdown in the region.

Mr Bush, who has said only that he will attend the Games, also scolded China in a statement marking World Press Freedom Day, which comes on Saturday.

'In 2007, for the ninth consecutive year, China remained the world's top jailer of journalists, followed by Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, and Azerbaijan,' he said. 'Journalists should be able to report without fear of persecution.'

'In countries such as Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, repressive laws severely restrict freedom of speech, and those who attempt to report are often imprisoned,' he said.

Mr Bush said he 'condemns the harassment, physical intimidation, persecution, and other abuse that journalists, including bloggers and Internet reporters, have faced in China, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, Venezuela, and Vietnam as well as the unsolved murders of journalists in Belarus, Lebanon, and Russia.' -- AFP