29 March 2008
EU urges China to hold dialogue on Tibet
(Reuters) The European Union (EU) called for an end to repression in Tibet and urged China to hold a dialogue on Tibetan cultural and religious rights, ministers said. Emerging from the meeting, British Foreign Secretary David Milliband said the 27-member bloc wanted Beijing to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama. The EU avoided direct reference to the possibility of boycotting the start of the Games in August, after member states differed on what stance to take. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner mooted the idea of sending an EU diplomatic fact-finding mission to Tibet and said the time before the Olympics should be used to press for human rights and media access. Given China's huge importance to the EU as an export market and investment magnet, diplomats said there are no prospects of economic or political sanctions.