Diplomats from several countries said China's embassy in Oslo had sent letters to Western missions more or less implicitly cautioning them not to attend the prize ceremony on December 10 in the Norwegian capital.

The decision to award the prize to Liu, a veteran Chinese dissident currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for subversion against the state, has enraged the Communist government in Beijing.

In Beijing, Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said governments would have to "take responsibility for the consequences" if they showed support for Liu, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

China has said the honour awarded last month was tantamount to "encouraging crime."

Norway-based ambassadors are traditionally invited to attend the ceremony in Oslo city hall along with royalty and other stars, and the Chinese warnings do not appear to have dissuaded many of them from attending.

"We have received a letter which explains the Chinese position and which asks us not to do anything which could destabilise China," Olof Huldtgren, the deputy head of mission at the Swedish embassy in Oslo, told AFP.

"It does not explicitly say don't participate in the Nobel ceremony, but reading between the lines, the message is clear."

Another Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that while the letter does not specifically say not to attend the ceremony "it warns against doing anything against Chinese interests."

The US ambassador will as usual attend the ceremony, a press spokeswoman said, refusing however to say whether the embassy had received a warning from China or not.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office in London acknowledged the Chinese "have raised the issue with us," but stressed: "It is the normal practice of the British ambassador to Norway to attend the Nobel peace prize ceremony. The ambassador intends to attend this year."

British Prime Minister David Cameron will be in China at the head of a business delegation when the ceremony takes place.

A spokesperson for chief European Union diplomat Catherine Ashton said there so far had been no request for a coordinated position from the bloc on whether to attend the ceremony.

"It is up to each member state to decide if it should attend or not," the official said, recalling Ashton's statement after the prize was announced: "Liu Xiaobo should be allowed to accept the prize in person."

Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia and Lithuania said Friday they would not be intimidated by the Chinese warning and their ambassadors would attend the event.

Germany meanwhile said it would be represented by the second in command at its embassy since the ambassador will be on "a long planned trip."

France, currently hosting a three-day state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao amid a signing frenzy of billions of dollars in industrial contracts, has not said whether its ambassador will be present.

Activists and the Socialist opposition complain France has kept human rights off the menu for the visit, and around 20 rights activists staged a protest in Paris on Friday as Hu's motorcade passed, calling for Beijing to free Liu.

Japan, which has suffered a spell of tense relations with China, has also yet to say if it would be represented at the Nobel ceremony in Oslo.

Despite a request from China that Norwegian leaders shun the ceremony, the foreign ministry in Oslo said Friday there were no plans to alter the traditional participation, which includes the king and queen and members of government.

Norwegian Nobel Institute director Geir Lundestad said the Chinese letter was "not a surprise."

"China has made clear its position on the prize and this letter is just a continuation of that," he told AFP.

Ambassadors based in the Norwegian capital have until November 15 to reply to the invitation.

So far, only the Chinese ambassador has declined, according to Lundestad.

With Liu Xiaobo in prison and his wife Liu Xia under house arrest, the Nobel Institute is still trying to decide who should accept the prize at the ceremony.

The Chinese embassy in Oslo could not be reached for comment.

earlier related report
Sarkozy says discussed human rights with China's Hu
Nice, France (AFP) Nov 5, 2010 - France's President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters he had discussed the sensitive topic of human rights with his visiting Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao during talks on Friday.

Asked whether the two had talked about human rights, Sarkozy replied: "Of course. President Hu Jintao is someone you can talk to."

Sarkozy was speaking to reporters as he arrived at a restaurant in the French Riviera city of Nice for a dinner with Hu, who is on the second day of a state visit to seal a reconciliation after diplomatic strains in recent years.

Activists and political opponents had criticised Sarkozy for not speaking up in favour of the jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize last month in a move that enraged Beijing.

"France wants to move things forward. To do that we have to talk about these matters without taboos," Sarkozy said, outside the chic restaurant La Petite Maison near the palm-lined Nice seafront.

"We have values to uphold and we do so with respect for others, understanding that they have a different culture, that they have had further to come (in terms of human rights) and that they should be encouraged to move towards openness."

Rights groups had urged Sarkozy to call for Liu's release and had complained that he was avoiding the subject to avoid offending Hu given the high economic and diplomatic stakes of the visit.

In Paris on Friday morning around 20 activists approached Hu as he visited the Arc de Triomphe. Police dispersed them and press freedom group Reporters Without Borders said six demonstrators were arrested.

No joint news conference has been scheduled by Hu and Sarkozy, an exceptional departure from state visit procedures that has been criticised by campaigners who want Hu to be pressed on the issue of human rights.

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