Published by: World Tibet Network News, Monday, October 28, 1996

PARIS, Oct 27 (AFP) - Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama begins a three-day visit to France Monday at a delicate time for Paris as it seeks to build bridges with Beijing.

With Jacques Chirac preparing his first official visit to China as French president in May, Paris is unwilling to risk Beijing's anger by welcoming the Dalai Lama with open arms.

While he is scheduled to hold talks at the French parliament, the doors of the president's Elysee palace and the Matignon, the offices of Prime Minister Alain Juppe, are remaining firmly shut, at least officially.

Foreign ministry spokesman Jacques Rummelhardt took pains to describe the trip as "pastoral," calling instead for "constructive dialogue" between China and Tibet over human rights and the vexed question of Tibet's status.

"We recognize China within its borders, which include the autonomous region of Tibet," he said here Friday, although conceding that tensions exist between Beijing and Lhasa.

"Despite these tensions we note that the Dalai Lama constantly reiterates his support for a non-violent path in general, and for the critical dialogue that the European Union has engaged with China on the issue of human rights," he added.

Chirac's visit is to cement relations with China that began improving only in 1994 following a row two years earlier after France sold fighter planes to Taiwan.

That crisis deepened further in 1993 when former French president Francois Mitterrand received the Dalai Lama at the Elysee. Since then France has rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister Li Peng, while its politicians have called for talks between the Dalai Lama and China.

Beijing, which has ruled Tibet since 1950, has already condemned a visit by the exiled spiritual leader to the European parliament in Strasbourg as "gross interference" in its internal affairs.

The Dalai Lama is due to hold talks Wednesday in France's National Assembly with a parliamentary group on Tibet, and also with opposition Socialist leader Lionel Jospin.

On Tuesday he is due to meet Buddhists living in France.

He will also be given a cross-party petition signed by 245 deputies calling for genuine dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama over Tibet.

On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Shen Guofang said Beijing was ready for talks with him, but that "he has never said he is opposed to Tibet's independence."

The Dalai Lama, for his part, also says he wants dialogue, but has irked China by persistently denouncing human rights abuses in Tibet.