"There will be a banner saying 'Paris defends human rights everywhere in the world' on city hall," Delanoe told a press conference today. The Socialist mayor said Paris hoped to defend the values "of all humanity and of human rights," saying all people "have the same right to dignity, and I am thinking in particular of the Tibetan people."

Pro-Tibet activists have called for protests over China's crackdown in the mountainous province at key locations during the Olympic flame's 19-country tour before returning to China. The flame is expected at the Eiffel Tower in Paris Monday at 1605 IST, travelling around the south and west of the capital to the Charlety sports stadium.

The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media rights group, which disrupted the lighting of the flame in Athens last month, said it planned to stage protests to mark its passage through Paris. Every time the flame crosses a city we will be there to say 'Don't forget the reality of Tibet, don't forget the reality of China," said RSF head Robert Menard, who is calling for a boycott of the August 8 Olympic opening ceremony.