The Dalai Lama has begun as 12-day visit to France by blessing First Cars by Chinese Manufacturer Enter German Market ...
Czechoslovakia's beginnings in France remembered ... a Buddhist institute on the edge of Paris.
The exiled spiritual Tibetan leader will spend most of the duration of the Olympics in France.
Plans to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy were dropped, though the Dalai Lama will meet lawmakers on Wednesday.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of stirring up unrest in Tibet and warned Mr Sarkozy of "serious consequences" if he met him.
Members of the Buddhist leader's entourage said any plans for a meeting were shelved to avoid damage to talks between Tibetan and Chinese parties, according to AFP.
The French president is trying to repair ties with China, damaged by his initial threat to boycott the opening of the Olympic Games and a series of pro-Tibet protests as the torch passed through the French capital.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting unrest in Tibet but last week the 1989 Nobel peace prize-winner sent a message offering good wishes to the Chinese people ahead of the games.
Later on Tuesday, the Dalai Lama is due to bless a statue of Buddha in the Paris suburb of Evry, built by worshippers of Vietnamese heritage.
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 amid an uprising against the Chinese military, has said he only wants limited autonomy for his homeland, but China accuses him of wanting independence for Tibet.
(BBC)
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