French President to Attend Opening of Olympics

Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, representing the European Union as well as his own country, his office said on Wednesday.

Rights activists have called for world leaders to boycott the ceremony on Aug. 8 to protest China's civil rights record.

Sarkozy met Chinese President Hu Jintao at a G8 summit in northern Japan on Wednesday and told him of his decision, ending weeks of uncertainty over his presence at the games.

Ties between Beijing and Paris were strained in April when pro-Tibet demonstrators disrupted the passage of the Olympic torch through the French capital, triggering anti-French protests in China and calls for a boycott of French goods.

"The president of the Republic has confirmed to the Chinese president his intention of travelling to Beijing on Aug. 8 to take part in the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games," the French presidency's office said in a statement.

As well as France, Sarkozy would represent the EU because France holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc, the presidential office's statement said, adding that other EU leaders had agreed with his decision to go.

However, opponents in France accused Sarkozy of putting commercial ties before human rights.

"I have a different view of what a head of state should be. He is not a door-to-door salesman," said Robert Menard, head of the Reporters without Borders watchdog, based in Paris, warning that his organisation would protest in Beijing on Aug 8.

Prominent French Socialist Arnaud Montebourg told France Inter radio: "We have lost on all counts. The Chinese have won and human rights have lost."

DALAI LAMA

Sarkozy had said his presence at the Olympics depended on China's willingness to talk to the Dalai Lama, comments that irritated China, which considers Tibet an internal affair.

Two meetings between envoys of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and the Chinese government have taken place, and another one is scheduled for October, a French official said.

Sarkozy has agreed with Hu not to make a public statement regarding Tibet before the October meeting, the official said.

"We are in a phase of discreet dialogue on this topic between the president of the republic and the Chinese president, and we are in agreement that nothing will be said about this."

The Dalai Lama is due to visit Paris in August and the Chinese ambassador to France, Kong Quan, told reporters this week there would be "serious consequences" if Sarkozy met him.

"It would run counter to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs," he was quoted by the press as saying.

China's crackdown on Tibetans after deadly riots in March sparked worldwide protests over Beijing's policies.

A French official said Wednesday's 30-minute meeting between Sarkozy and Hu went very well.

"The French-Sino relationship is once again back on track as a strategic partnership," the official said.

Chinese state media last week warned Sarkozy that he could expect a cold shoulder from the public if he decided to attend the Games, with one official newspaper saying people in China simply did not want the French president at the Olympics.

Some Beijing residents reacted cooly to the news that Sarkozy would be coming.

"Chinese people should show him the same respect and give the same warm welcome they would to other leaders," said consultant Dai Feng, 23. "But we should not forget about the humiliations that he has put on us."

U.S. President George W. Bush and the leaders of some other countries including Australia, Japan and the Netherlands are also due to attend the opening of the Games.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose country hosts the next Olympics in 2012, is due to attend the closing ceremony.