By Tenam
Paris, Monday 21 April – The Council of Paris city voted in favour of conferring “honorary citizen” of the city of Paris to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, following a vote in accordance with the wishes of Mayor Bertrand Delanoe.
This will “pay tribute to a champion of peace, a tireless advocate of dialogue between people,” said Bertrand Delanoe.
The Greens and the Socialist Party voted for the motion while many members from UMP, MRC, communists and independent Centre parties abstained the vote. Christophe Girard, deputy mayor of Paris was also absent from the chamber.
“Paris also wants to show its support for the people of Tibet who are defending their most basic right to dignity, freedom and simply life,” said the mayor in a statement last week.
His Holiness will visit France in August when China hosts the Olympic Games that have drawn much controversy from human rights advocates concerned by a recent crackdown in Tibet.
The French President Sarkozy again called on the Chinese government to enter into dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives on Tibet as soon as possible.
Tenam can be contacted at tenam[AT]tibetwrites.org
