The European Union has called for an end to repression in Tibet and urged China to hold a dialogue on Tibetan cultural and religious rights.
A document prepared by the council of foreign ministers in Slovenia said the EU and the European Commission wanted an end to the violence "and asks that arrested persons be treated in conformity with international standards.
"It wishes to uphold the transparency of information and hence free access by the press to Tibet.
"The EU notes the Dalai Lama's recent public commitment to non-violence and to the autonomy, not independence of Tibet.
"It calls for substantive and constructive dialogue which addresses core issues like preservation of the Tibetan language, culture and traditions. The European Union will continue to pay close attention to the human rights situation in China."
The statement was released as new filtered through that Chinese security forces had sealed off parts of the Tibetan capital Lhasa today.
Tibet's government-in-exile said it was investigating reports of renewed protests, weeks after the city was shaken by an anti-government riot.
"We don't know how many people, but it seems it's quite a lot of people," Tenzin Taklha, a spokesman for the Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said.
The London-based International Campaign for Tibet said it had heard from three sources that security forces had surrounded Lhasa's main temples, Jokhang and Ramoche.
"The whole area has been shut down," said the group's spokeswoman, Kate Saunders.
The reports coincided with a visit by a group of diplomats, who were led on a closely guarded tour of the city that has been at the heart of unrest throughout China's ethnic Tibetan regions.
Earlier this week, the government took select foreign media to Lhasa to highlight the wreckage and give the impression that the city was returning to normal, but the plan backfired when about 30 monks at Jokhang stormed an official news briefing.
The monks complained about a lack of religious freedom and voiced support for the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile.
Also today, China offered to pay compensation to the families of the 18 civilians it says died in the Lhasa violence.
The Dalai Lama's representatives, who deny Chinese claims that he is orchestrating the demonstrations, say the death toll is closer to 140.