Paris to award Dalai Lama honorary citizenship
By Vasilije Gallak on May 26, 2009 in Asia, Featured, France
Paris – Paris will host the Dalai Lama on June 7 for a ceremony in which Mayor Bertrand Delanoe will confer on Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader honorary citizenship of the French capital, RTL radio reported Tuesday.
The Dalai Lama was named an honorary citizen of Paris on April 22, 2008, four months before the Beijing Olympics, a decision that enraged Chinese authorities.
A later meeting in Germany between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama created diplomatic tensions between Paris and Beijing that have only recently been resolved.
It is expected that because of pressure exerted on the Paris City Hall by Sarkozy’s office, the ceremony will be more discreet than originally planned. (dpa)