LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown will meet the Dalai Lama in London on May 23 and will discuss recent unrest in Tibet, his spokesman said Monday while downplaying the political nature of the talks.

The spokesman said Brown would meet the exiled Tibetan principally for his role as a spiritual leader, and confirmed that the meeting would not take place at Brown's Downing Street office but at the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England.

"The prime minister will be meeting the Dalai Lama on Friday the 23rd of May and, reflecting the fact that the Dalai Lama is a respected spiritual leader, the meeting will take place at Lambeth Palace," he said.

Asked if the pair would discuss politics, he said: "It will be an opportunity to discuss the recent situation in Tibet," but again stressed that Brown was meeting him first and foremost as a spiritual leader.

Brown said in March that he would meet the Dalai Lama when he visits Britain, angering China, which accuses the Buddhist cleric of masterminding protests against Beijing's rule in Tibet.

The announcement was welcomed by pro-Tibet campaigners, but risked souring relations with China, which Brown visited in January to boost two-way trade and investment and cooperation in areas like tackling climate change.

Both of Brown's immediate predecessors, Tony Blair and John Major, met the Dalai Lama in Downing Street.

The 72-year-old's 11-day visit to Britain begins on May 20.

Brown said on April 30 he was "unhappy" with Beijing's actions in Tibet, which he said were clouding a human rights dialogue with China.

He said he believed Beijing saw London as its major partner in the West but admitted there were difficulties in the relationship.

Amid threats from other world leaders, including France, to boycott the Olympics in Beijing in August over China's crackdown in Tibet, Brown has said he will attend the closing ceremony as London will host the 2012 Games.

The Dalai Lama is due to give evidence on human rights issues to a parliamentary oversight committee on foreign affairs on May 22.

The committee is currently looking at the Foreign Office's annual human rights report and focusing on issues and countries of concern.