Bolzano (Italy), Nov 17 (DPA) The Dalai Lama, speaking Tuesday during a visit to Italy, said he appreciated US President Barack Obama's appeal to Chinese leaders to hold talks with him over the situation in Tibet.

However, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said he realised that 'limits' existed beyond which the US is not able to express itself on the Tibetan issue, the ANSA news agency reported.

The Dalai Lama made the remarks as he met local authorities in the northeastern city of Bolzano.

Hours earlier, Obama told Chinese President Hu Jintao that while Washington recognises that Tibet is part of China, it supports the early resumption of dialogue between Beijing and representatives of the Dalai Lama who is regarded by China's rulers as a separatist.

Obama's comment on the Dalai Lama came as rights groups Tuesday said China had sentenced the founder of a Tibetan-language website to 15 years in prison after convicting him of 'disclosing state secrets' and sentenced a Tibetan blogger to five years in prison.

The Dalai Lama and the Chinese government have both said they want to reach an agreement on Tibet's future through dialogue, but signs of genuine accord are as elusive as ever, 50 years after Tibet's religious leader and about 100,000 of his supporters fled into exile.