France wants China Tibet dialogue
Sarkozy calls for the opening of dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama to diffuse Tibet tensions.
France supports the opening of dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama to defuse tensions over Tibet, Nicolas Sarkozy told a senior Chinese envoy today.
Sarkozy discussed the recent violence in Tibet with Zhao Jinjun, the special representative of Chinese President Hu Jintao who is a former Chinese ambassador to France.
A government spokesman said: "The President renewed France's call for reopening dialogue between representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese authorities."
Sarkozy had previously said he was ready to boycott the August 8 opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics unless China started a dialogue with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
The spokesman added that France and China would continue to hold talks in the coming days "within the framework of a Sino-French strategic partnership that both sides want to deepen."
The talks are being held amid tension between France and China following the chaotic Olympic torch relay in Paris that saw human rights activists and pro-Tibet supporters take to the streets to protest Beijing's human rights record.
Calls have circulated on the internet and via mobile phones in China for a boycott of French goods and organisations following the debacle.
