| Up until now, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, | | | | Sarkozy said that although the sight of the athletes |
| has remained pretty reticent about whether he's | | | | and the torch being whistled and jeered had saddened |
| planning to attend the opening ceremony of the | | | | him, it was normal in a democracy that people should |
| Olympic games in Beijing in August. But on Tuesday, | | | | be allowed to express their opinions. The solidarity |
| he finally broke his silence and tentatively called on the | | | | shown with the Dalai Lama and Tibet was |
| Chinese authorities to reopen discussions with Tibet's | | | | understandable and that was proof, as far as he was |
| exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. | | | | concerned, of the need to call on China to reopen |
| "France will do everything to encourage such talks," he | | | | discussions with the Dalai Lama to "find a political |
| said. " There are still several months to go (before the | | | | solution." |
| opening of the games) and there's no time to lose.' | | | | While Sarkozy played down the impact Monday's |
| "It'll be in light of the resumption of such a dialogue that | | | | demonstrations might have diplomatically and above all |
| I'll decide what will be the conditions for our | | | | economically on relations between Paris and Beijing, his |
| participation." | | | | sentiments were not necessarily being shared |
| By explicitly linking his presence at the ceremony with | | | | elsewhere. |
| the reopening of talks, Sarkozy has moved on from | | | | The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, said |
| the only statement he had made on the matter so far | | | | the protests had made diplomatic relations between |
| a couple of weeks ago, when he said that "all options | | | | the two countries a little more complicated. A |
| were open." | | | | somewhat extraordinary declaration for some of |
| That's a slight change in rhetoric perhaps, but not | | | | Kouchner's critics, who view it as rather at odds with |
| exactly encouraging to those who have been urging a | | | | his track record as a man who has always been a |
| boycott in protest over China's security clampdown in | | | | firm supporter of Tibetan rights and counts himself as |
| Tibet. | | | | a friend of the Dalai Lama. Besides, who ever said |
| Sarkozy remained silent over the weekend as his | | | | diplomacy was easy? |
| junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade, said in a | | | | There was also some anxiety from within the business |
| newspaper interview that the president had set three | | | | community over potential fallout from Monday's |
| indispensable "conditions" for Chinese authorities to | | | | incidents. French industrial giants such as Airbus, |
| meet before he would confirm his attendance. Yade | | | | Alstom and Areva all have billion-euro contracts lined |
| later backtracked, maintaining she had been misquoted. | | | | up with the Chinese, but know that Beijing can always |
| And there was not a peep from his office at the | | | | take its custom elsewhere. |
| Elysée palace on Monday after demonstrators | | | | Sarkozy has given himself some breathing space, |
| cut short the journey of the Olympic flame as it | | | | upped the ante just a tad and, without promising |
| chaotically passed through the streets of Paris. | | | | anything, not excluded the possibility of boycotting the |
| Commenting for the first time on those protests, | | | | opening ceremony. |