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French President to meet Dalai Lama next month

AFP

French President Nicolas Sarkozy gestures during a press conference at the end of an informal meeting of the EU heads of state on 7 November 2008 in Brussels. He has said he will meet the Dalai Lama during a visit to Poland on 6 December.AFP/Gerard Cerles/France

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU presidency, said on Thursday he will meet the Dalai Lama next month during a visit to Poland.

‘The Dalai Lama is a distinguished man, a man who inspires profound respect and I will have the opportunity to see him in Poland on December 6,’ Mr Sarkozy said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader and Mr Sarkozy will both be attending ceremonies in Poland to mark the 25th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Lech Walesa, the anti-communist union activist who later became president.

During a visit to France in August, the Dalai Lama met Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, human rights minister Rama Yade and first lady Carla Bruni.

But Mr Sarkozy declined a meeting with the Buddhist leader after Beijing warned that such direct contact would have serious consequences for bilateral relations.

China maintains that a meeting with the Dalai Lama at an official level is tantamount to meddling in internal affairs.

Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for Tibet but the exiled leader has said he is seeking autonomy and religious freedom, not secession.

‘The Tibetans should not be subjected to repression and, like everyone else, they have a right to freedom,’ Mr Sarkozy said at the Elysee palace.

‘But at the same time, should we sever contact with one billion three hundred million Chinese who have made unquestionable progress over the past decade?’ Mr Sarkozy added.

‘One does not justify the other, of course. But if we do not go to Beijing, if we do not discuss, if we do not share our concerns, if we do not progress step-by-step, then how will we ensure that the idea that we have of respect for rights and freedoms will prevail?’ he said.

Relations between France and China went through a rough patch when Mr Sarkozy threatened to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games unless Beijing showed progress in talks on Tibet.

But Mr Sarkozy decided to attend the ceremony and has since sought to put relations on a stronger footing.

Copyright © 2008 Agence France-Presse

Published in The Straits Times