France's Sarkozy keeps Olympic no-show option open

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) and Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown attend a summit at the Emirates Stadium in London, March 27, 2008.

LONDON (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday left open the possibility that he might not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics because of the way China has handled unrest in Tibet.

Speaking at a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Sarkozy said whether he went or not would depend on how the situation in Tibet evolved and on consultations with other European countries.

"We were shocked by what happened in Tibet and we made our great concern known, each in our own way," Sarkozy told reporters, referring to himself and Brown.

The unrest in Tibet began with peaceful marches by Buddhist monks in Lhasa more than two weeks ago. Within days, riots erupted in which non-Tibetan Chinese migrants were attacked and their property burned, prompting a security crackdown.

China says Tibetan mobs killed 19 people. The Tibetan government-in-exile says 140 died in Lhasa and elsewhere, most of them Tibetan victims of security forces.

Protests have spread to parts of Chinese provinces which border Tibet and have large ethnic Tibetan populations.

Sarkozy, whose country takes over the rotating six-month European Union presidency in July, repeated his call on Beijing to hold talks with Tibetan Buddhism's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

"We both think that the only solution is the restoration of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama in the framework of respect for Chinese territoriality," he said.

Sarkozy's comments echoed those of U.S. President George W. Bush, who urged Chinese President Hu Jintao by phone on Wednesday to open dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

Hu said China would not talk to the man it accuses of fomenting deadly riots and trying to sabotage the Games.

Sarkozy said on Tuesday all options should remain open as far as a possible boycott of the opening ceremony was concerned.

"I will be president of the (European) Union at the time of the opening ceremony. I must therefore know what the others think before establishing a position on whether I will go to the opening ceremony or not," Sarkozy said on Thursday.

"I will refrain from saying whether or not I am going to the ceremony and whether other initiatives should be taken," Sarkozy said, adding that his decision would depend on how the situation in Tibet evolved.

Unlike Sarkozy, Brown has said he will meet the Dalai Lama in May, a move which risks angering Beijing.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to meet the Dalai Lama last year led to a four-month chill in relations with China, which many businesses consider a crucial market.

Brown, whose country will host the 2012 summer Olympics, said Britain would attend both the Beijing Olympics and the opening ceremony.

(Reporting by Sophie Louet; writing by Francois Murphy; editing by Tim Pearce)