Sarkozy's decision to meet Dalai Lama forces angry China to call off EU summit.Byline: ANIBeijing, Nov.27 (ANI): China has decided to cancel its annual summit with the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community because of French President Nicholas Sarkozy's plans to meet Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The decision is a dramatic example of the lengths to which Beijing is willing to go to isolate the Dalai Lama internationally. French President Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, will go ahead with plans to meet the Dalai Lama in Poland next month despite Beijing's explicit anger. Luc Chatel, a French government spokesman, said: "The president of the Republic will meet the Nobel Prize winners Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel Year Recipient(s) 1969 Ragnar Frisch Jan Tinbergen 1970 Paul A. Samuelson 1971 Simon Kuznets 1972 Sir John R. Hicks Kenneth J. . So he will meet the Dalai Lama in that framework." The EU voiced regret at China's decision to postpone indefinitely the December 1 summit: "particularly at time when the global economic and financial situation calls for very close co-operation between Europe and China". Anti-Chinese riots by Tibetans in March provoked fury in Beijing as they threatened to overshadow o·ver·shad·ow tr.v. o·ver·shad·owed, o·ver·shad·ow·ing, o·ver·shad·ows 1. To cast a shadow over; darken or obscure. 2. To make insignificant by comparison; dominate. the August Olympics by stirring international sympathy for the Tibetan cause. China was enraged en·rage tr.v. en·raged, en·rag·ing, en·rag·es To put into a rage; infuriate. [Middle English *enragen, from Old French enrager : en-, causative pref. when German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Dalai Lama in 2007 and froze commercial ties for a month, furious that Bonn had failed to notify Beijing in advance of its plans. China responded with more equanimity e·qua·nim·i·ty n. The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure. [Latin aequanimit when U.S. President George W. Bush met the religious leader because Washington had given Beijing private prior notice. (ANI) Copyright 2008 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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