EU foreign ministers are divided over the question of boycotting the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
The ministers began two days of talks in Slovenia today and are discussing sending a strong message to China over Tibet.
No one was seeking a full boycott of the summer games as they arrived for the talks, but most EU nations have openly condemned the Chinese crackdown on protests in Tibet.
Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, appealed to China to enter into ‘meaningful dialogue’ over the crisis, while asserting that he did not want to undermine the Beijing Olympics, and was not seeking independence.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who will hold the presidency of the EU at the time of the Olympics, said he will reserve the right to decide whether or not to boycott the opening ceremony.
Slovenia agreed to make Tibet a late addition to the agenda of the EU foreign ministers' meeting where Kosovo, Russia and the Middle East will also be discussed.
Meanwhile, Nepal has announced it will deploy soldiers on its side of Mount Everest to prevent pro-Tibet protests when China carries the Olympic torch to the summit in early May.
Foreign climbers will only be allowed at the summit once the Olympic expedition is clear.
A Chinese team plans to take the torch to the summit of the 8,848-metre mountain - which straddles the border between Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet.
