Paris, France - The Paris city council has bestowed the title of "honorary citizen" on the Dalai Lama.
The symbolic council vote led by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's Socialists and the Green Party comes as France's relationship with China is souring.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives opposed the measure approved Monday.
Many pro-Tibet protesters disrupted the Olympic flame relay in Paris earlier this month, fanning pockets of anger in China.
Sarkozy has left open the possibility of boycotting the Olympic opening ceremony depending on whether his hopes for dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama are fulfilled.