By KUNA,
Paris : The leader of the worlds Buddhist religion, the Dalai Lama, arrived in Paris early Monday for a 12-day private visit intended to avoid any controversy over the disputed area of Tibet or to provoke any problem in relations between China and France.
China had previously made it known that any meeting between senior French officials, especially President Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Dalai Lama would damage relations between the two nations, particularly given the context of the Olympic Games, which China is currently hosting.
Thus the highly symbolic Tibetan leader, who is considered a moral authority both in the Buddhist religion and outside of that world, will not have any political meetings of significance while in France, diplomatic sources said Monday.
He will, however, meet with a delegation of the French parliament on Wednesday, sources at the French Senate said.
The Dalai Lama, who left his native Tibet in the 1960s after China took control of the country, will largely devote his time in France to “spiritual activities” and will meet with the Buddhist community here and take part in the inauguration of new Pagodas and such ceremonies. During the run-up to the Olympic Games, there were a number of high-profile protests here in favour of Tibets independence and the Olympic flame procession was disrupted by protesters as it went through Paris, provoking anger in China.