A mascot of the Olympic Games is rolled into barbed wire in Freiburg, southern Germany, as a protest action against the oppression in Tibet. - AP

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP):

THE EUROPEAN Union has urged China to handle the uprising in Tibet with restraint and stay clear of violence, but again ruled out a full boycott of the Beijing Olympics.

The Belgian government, however, did not rule out a boycott if the situation in Tibet worsened, and some members of the European Parliament called on EU leaders to stay away from the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.

Recent unrest in the Chinese province of Tibet has killed at least 22 people, according to government officials. The uprising was the broadest and most sustained against Chinese rule of the region in almost two decades.

"We believe the Olympic Games are not a political event ... but should be held in an atmosphere of peace and freedom of the media," said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

"We will all closely follow how things will unfold in the coming weeks ... and how, as the EU, we can work together to deliver a strong and coherent message to the Chinese authorities," she added.

In the European Parliament, some members wore T-shirts with the five Olympic rings shaped as handcuffs during the session in Brussels. Some also had Tibetan flags draped over their seats.

"The EU must refuse to attend the opening ceremony. These Games will take place ... but remember what is behind this. We don't want athletes to have blood on their feet," said Green lawmaker Daniel Cohn-Bendit.

Call for conformity

The leader of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, based in India, said the Olympics should take place "so that China conforms to the international rules and laws".

"It is left to the individual countries to decide, according to their conscience" whether or not they will boycott the games, Karma Chophel said at the EU assembly.

He said the Tibetan government-in-exile was calling on the international community to intervene and stop the violence in Tibet. He also demanded the release of political prisoners and medical care for protesters injured during the Chinese clampdown.

Olympics boycott not an option

Ferrero-Waldner said the number of victims and wounded in Tibet "seems to go to the hundreds", while Chophel, citing his sources in Tibet, said 135 people were killed as of Tuesday.

Belgian Vice-Premier Didier Reynders told Le Soir newspaper that staying away from the Olympics "is not an option that we reserve today. But we can never exclude the worst".

His comments came a day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested he could boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

The sports minister of the northern Belgian region of Flanders said he will not attend the opening ceremony in Beijing, as it could be used for propaganda purposes.