Washington: The United States today declined to echo ally Japan's warning to China that Tibet's unrest was now an international issue, but said Washington wants conditions there to improve.

"I don't think we try to characterize it as a national issue or an international issue. I don't think that's the point of it," White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters.

"The point of it is that there are lots of places in the world where we have an interest in the human rights of the citizens who live there, and we express our interest and our concern in all of those places. And we want to see the conditions improve," said Fratto.

His comments came after Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda bluntly told China that Tibet had become an international issue, contradicting Beijing's official line, and hinted it could hit the Olympics.

Fukuda made the remarks to visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who was paving the way for President Hu Jintao's much-anticipated trip to Tokyo next month.

"Prime Minister Fukuda stated that there was a need to face up to the reality that the matter has become an international issue and that it should not affect the Olympics," a foreign ministry statement said.

"It is desired that the Chinese side does all it can to solve the matter," it quoted Fukuda as saying.

China has repeatedly countered criticism of its crackdown in the Himalayan region by saying its handling of protests last month was strictly an internal matter.

Source : PTI