Quebec, Aug. 19 : Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has said that current Prime Minister Stephen Harper absence from the Beijing Olympic Games and preference for extending a welcome to Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has the potential of impacting negatively on future Sino-Canadian ties.

Paris  - The Dalai Lama on Monday began a 12-day visit to France during which the Tibetan spiritual leader was due to meet French lawmakers.

No official reception was planned, but the Dalai Lama would meet privately with members from the Franco-Tibetan interest group, officials said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was not due to meet the Dalai Lama. While French media have been speculating over the politically sensitive nature of such a meeting, the Elysee Palace indicated that the Dalai Lama had not yet asked for a meeting with Sarkozy.

New Delhi, July 29: China’s Foreign Ministry has expressed its concern over a meeting between US Republican presidential candidate John McCain and the Dalai Lama, and warned that it could damage Sino-US relations.

“We oppose the Dalai Lama going to any country in any capacity to engage in separatist activities,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

He was speaking following McCain’s meeting on Friday, with the Dalai Lama in Colorado in the United States, the China Daily reported.

Washington - Meeting with the Dalai Lama US Republican presidential candidate John McCain Friday criticized the human rights situation in China.

The US wants good relations with Beijing, McCain said after his discussion with the spiritual head of Tibet during his visit to the Aspen Institute think tank in Aspen, Colorado.

McCain said however that it did a disservice to the Chinese people if the US and other democracies do not express their concern about the suppression of human rights in China, the senator said, according to the US television network ABC.

Ajmer, July 9 : Ti