French president to attend Olympics opening

By Emmanuel Jarry

TOYAKO, Japan (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of next month's Beijing Olympics, representing the European Union as well as his own country, his office said on Wednesday.

Rights activists have called for world leaders to boycott the ceremony on Aug. 8 to protest China's record on civil rights.

Sarkozy met Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of a G8 summit in northern Japan on Wednesday.

Ties between Beijing and Paris were strained in April when pro-Tibet demonstrators disrupted the passage of the Olympic torch through the French capital, triggering anti-French protests in China and calls for a boycott of French goods.

"The president of the Republic has confirmed to the Chinese president his intention of travelling to Beijing on Aug. 8 to take part in the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games," the French presidency's office said in a statement.

As well as France, Sarkozy would represent the EU because France holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc, the presidential office's statement said, adding that other EU leaders had agreed with his decision to attend the opening ceremony.

Sarkozy has previously said his presence at the Olympics depended on China's willingness to talk to the Dalai Lama, comments that irritated China, which considers Tibet an internal affair.

Two meetings between envoys of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and the Chinese government have taken place, and another one is scheduled for October, a French official said.