BERLIN, April 9, 2008 (AFP) - European Parliament President Hans Gert Poettering called on Wednesday for EU leaders to boycott the Olympic Games opening ceremony if China does not hold talks with the Dalai Lama.

'We call on the governments of European Union countries, in other words the Council of Ministers, to agree on a common policy for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on August 8,' Poettering told German TV channel N24.

'That means that if the Dalai Lama is not invited to talks with the Chinese government, then the European Parliament believes that leading politicians should not take part in the opening ceremony,' he said.

He added however that he was not in favour of a boycott of the Games themselves.