Dalai Lama to meet members of French parliament

AP[Wednesday, July 30, 2008]

PARIS (AP) - A senator says members of France's parliament will meet the Dalai Lama during his visit to France next month.

The Dalai Lama will be in France from Aug. 12-23. It is not clear whether President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet him. China has expressed displeasure over that possibility.

Senator Louis de Broissia said Tuesday that

the Tibetan spiritual leader would have a closed-door session Aug. 13 with parliamentarians who take part in committees on Tibet.

Sarkozy pleased the Chinese by announcing he would attend the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing after threatening to skip it. Ties between China and France have been strained since protesters angry about China's security crackdown in Tibet disrupted the Paris leg of the Olympic torch relay.