2008-4-05 7:08pm
From the daily mail:
“French President Nicholas Sarkozy will boycott the opening of the Beijing Olympics unless China opens dialogue with the Dalai Lama and frees political prisoners, a French minister told Le Monde today.
Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade said these conditions were “indispensable” for Sarkozy to attend the opening of the Games.
His warning comes as Government security forces fired on crowds of civilians, killing at least eight people in the Tibetan area of western China.
Xinhua news agency said rioters attacked government offices in Garze, Sichuan province, on Thursday, leaving one official hurt and others seriously injured.
Sarkozy is set to announce his decision on the boycott after consulting with his European counterparts and will be speaking as current president of the European Union.
“Nevertheless, three conditions are indispensable for him to go: an end to violence against the population and the release of political prisoners, light to be shed on the events in Tibet and the opening of dialogue with the Dalai Lama,” Tibet’s spiritual leader, Ms Yade said.
France calls on China to undertake “a really constructive dialogue with the Dalai Lama”.
“These discussions should be about the recognition of Tibetan autonomy and the spiritual, religious and cultural identity of Tibetans,” she added.
The French minister said 132 Tibetan monks had been arrested last year for political reasons.
“At the moment, China practises a politics of…
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