PARIS, FRANCE - CHINA'S ambassador to France on Tuesday warned of 'serious consequences' to Sino-French relations if President Nicolas Sarkozy meets the Dalai Lama during his visit to France next month.

Mr Sarkozy has left open the possibility of holding face-to-face talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who has met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President George W Bush.

'If such a meeting took place, it would have serious consequences because it would be contrary to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs,' said Ambassador Kong Quan.

Mr Kong spoke on the eve of a meeting between Mr Sarkozy and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Japan during which the French president is to announce whether he will be attending the August 8 opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

The ambassador cited French press reports suggesting that Mr Sarkozy would be attending the ceremony and said this 'leads me to believe that he will be there.' Mr Sarkozy has said that he would consult other European leaders as France holds the EU presidency but that he was prepared to go if talks between Beijing and the Dalai Lama showed progress.

Representatives of the Dalai Lama and China held a fresh round of talks in India this week, but an envoy of the spiritual leader said there was no headway on the status of Tibet.

The meeting between Mr Sarkozy and Mr Hu on the sidelines of the Group of Eight (G8) summit caps months of strains in relations following the chaotic Olympic torch relay through Paris in April that was disrupted by human rights protesters angry at Beijing's crackdown in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama is due to pay a visit to France from August 12 to 23 to attend a conference on Buddhism in the western city of Nantes.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has opposed Tibetan independence from China, although he has advocated greater autonomy for his homeland and criticised Beijing's policies there. -- AFP