PARIS, Nov 11 (AFP) - A former French minister, now a Euro MP, called Monday for Europe to give financial and political backing for an independent radio station for Tibetans in exile, to counter what he called Chinese propaganda.

Former humanitarian action minister Bernard Kouchner, now a member of the European Parliament, said such a station was needed to counter increased Chinese broadcasting in Tibet, which he said was influencing opinion.

"Let us give Tibetans in exile a voice to talk to their people. The war of the airwaves has started on the high plains, and they (the Tibetans in exile) cannot be heard," he said referring to the high-altitude region.

Kouchner, renowned in France for his outspoken views, said the infrastructure for such a station already existed in the form of radio facilities in Dharamsala in India, where Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has lived in exile since 1959.

"The only thing missing is international political support and financial backing so that the first programmes can be broadcast. Europe must take the lead in this movement," he said.

Arguing that Beijing was investing massively in TV stations, he continued:

"This voice of democracy will allow Tibet to open to the world, while China is trying to hold it captive within its borders.

"A short wave Tibetan radio station, independent and peace-promoting, a human rights radio station must serve the vital function of providing information."

"Control of the airwaves, that means mind control, is a new part of the game," he added.

The Dalai Lama last month addressed deputies at the Strasbourg-based European Parliament, appealing for international support for his negotiations with Beijing.

He also visited Paris and spoke with National Assembly deputies, but was not granted official meetings with French government figures.