SEATTLE (AP) - China's accusations that the Dalai Lama instigated the recent wave of deadly violence in Tibet are "ludicrous," U.S. Rep Jay Inslee said Monday.

The Washington state Democrat met with the exiled Tibetan leader in Dharmsala late last week while on trip to Britain and India led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

In a phone interview from Mumbai on Monday, Inslee said he backs the Dalai Lama's call for an international investigation into the violence, which the Buddhist leader believes would clear his name.

"It just appears ludicrous to me to charge him with somehow being a provocateur of this violence," Inslee said. "The man has committed multiple decades of his life to nonviolence."

Protests in Lhasa, Tibet's capital, started two weeks ago on the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Events turned violent March 14, touching off demonstrations among Tibetans in three neighboring provinces.

Beijing responded by blanketing Tibetan areas with troops and publishing a "Most Wanted" list of 21 protesters, appealing to people to turn them in.

China's official death toll from the rioting is 22, but the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile has reported 99 Tibetans have been killed.

Chinese officials have accused the Dalai Lama and his supporters of organizing the violent clashes in hopes of sabotaging this summer's Beijing Olympics and promoting Tibetan independence.

But Inslee said the Dalai Lama insisted he is not calling for a boycott of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and is not seeking independence for Tibet.

"He actually said the Chinese deserve to have the Olympics. He thought ... this was an important part of the dignity of the nation, and he wanted to respect that," Inslee said. "Frankly I thought that was magnanimous of him given the circumstances."

Inslee said the Dalai Lama told him he's calling for "a system of government that allows the Buddhist community to perpetuate their culture," not independence from China.

The Dalai Lama plans to visit Seattle for four days, beginning April 12 with an event at the city's Qwest Field that organizers say is expected to draw 40,000 people.

The main goal of the U.S. congressional delegation's trip, which began last Tuesday in London and wraps up this week, has been to engage British and Indian government and business leaders in talks about reining in global warming by curbing carbon emissions and promoting greater use of cleaner renewable energy.

"We can't do this alone," Inslee said. "If India continues to build coal-fired plants and China does the same, the planet ... is doomed."

Leaders in India expressed interest in forming partnerships to advance development of energy technologies like solar and tidal wave power, but Inslee said they're not ready to sign up for caps on carbon emissions.

"As they point out, we put out somewhere between 10 and 25 times more pollutants per person in the United States than they do in India," Inslee said. "So they have, I think, rightfully pointed out that we need to show some leadership first."