02/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - According to the Financial Times of 2 April, the United States has asked for "a series of formal meetings" with European governments on the possibility of the EU lifting the embargo on arms sales to China, which has been in force since the Tiananmen Square repression in 1989. At the Foreign Affairs Council of January, which re-opened examinations into the embargo, Dominique de Villepin voiced his hopes for a decision by the European Council of 25 and 26 March, which failed to materialise (see EUROPE of 27 January, p.4). The European Parliament has taken position against lifting the embargo several times, invoking continuing human rights infringements in China.