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Sarkozy urges EU-led Olympic boycott
Friday, 28 March, 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy urges EU-led Olympic boycott. (Getty)
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy has stepped up the pressure on China, over the latest unrest in Tibet.
Mr Sarkozy has vowed to ask all EU leaders about the possible idea of boycotting this summer Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Just hours before he made the comments, monks from one of Tibetan Buddhism's most sacred temples defied Beijing's crackdown on dissent to protest in front of visiting foreign reporters in Lhasa, voicing their support for the Dalai Lama.
The protest, embarrassing for the Olympic nation, came as it again refused to hold talks with the exiled spiritual leader.
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The French President's intervention came after US President George Bush voiced his concerns after calling President Hu Jintao in a bid to solve the crisis.
On Wednesday, President Bush telephoned the Chinese leader to express his concern over the unrest and call for talks between China and the Dalai Lama's representatives.
However Hu reiterated Beijing's position that the Dalai Lama was fomenting the unrest and trying to sabotage the Beijing Olympics, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
No talks were possible until the Dalai Lama gave up his independence push for Tibet and stopped "fanning and masterminding" the ongoing Tibetan unrest, Hu told Bush, according to the statement.
"Especially (the Dalai Lama) must stop... activities to sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games," Hu said.
Up to 140 dead in unrest
So far up to 140 people have been killed, according to the Tibetan government in exile.
"At the time of the Olympics, I will be in the presidency of the European Union so I have to sound out and consult my fellow members to see whether or not we should boycott," Sarkozy told a press conference in London after a summit with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Sarkozy said none of the 27 EU nations had so far called for a boycott, but added: "According to how the situation is looking at the time, I reserve the right to say whether or not I will attend the opening ceremony."
Slovenia, the EU's current president until July 1, agreed to make Tibet a late addition to the agenda of an EU foreign ministers meeting in Slovenia from Friday.
Poland's prime minister has already joined the Czech president in saying he will not go to China for the Olympics.
"My evaluation is very clear. The presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Polish premier Donald Tusk told the country's Dziennik daily, announcing his absence from the event.
The protests began in Lhasa on March 10 to mark the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, an event that saw the Dalai Lama flee to India where he has since lived in exile.
Source: SBS staff with agencies
Mr Sarkozy has vowed to ask all EU leaders about the possible idea of boycotting this summer Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Just hours before he made the comments, monks from one of Tibetan Buddhism's most sacred temples defied Beijing's crackdown on dissent to protest in front of visiting foreign reporters in Lhasa, voicing their support for the Dalai Lama.
The protest, embarrassing for the Olympic nation, came as it again refused to hold talks with the exiled spiritual leader.
Call to action
The French President's intervention came after US President George Bush voiced his concerns after calling President Hu Jintao in a bid to solve the crisis.
On Wednesday, President Bush telephoned the Chinese leader to express his concern over the unrest and call for talks between China and the Dalai Lama's representatives.
However Hu reiterated Beijing's position that the Dalai Lama was fomenting the unrest and trying to sabotage the Beijing Olympics, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
No talks were possible until the Dalai Lama gave up his independence push for Tibet and stopped "fanning and masterminding" the ongoing Tibetan unrest, Hu told Bush, according to the statement.
"Especially (the Dalai Lama) must stop... activities to sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games," Hu said.
Up to 140 dead in unrest
So far up to 140 people have been killed, according to the Tibetan government in exile.
"At the time of the Olympics, I will be in the presidency of the European Union so I have to sound out and consult my fellow members to see whether or not we should boycott," Sarkozy told a press conference in London after a summit with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Sarkozy said none of the 27 EU nations had so far called for a boycott, but added: "According to how the situation is looking at the time, I reserve the right to say whether or not I will attend the opening ceremony."
Slovenia, the EU's current president until July 1, agreed to make Tibet a late addition to the agenda of an EU foreign ministers meeting in Slovenia from Friday.
Poland's prime minister has already joined the Czech president in saying he will not go to China for the Olympics.
"My evaluation is very clear. The presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Polish premier Donald Tusk told the country's Dziennik daily, announcing his absence from the event.
The protests began in Lhasa on March 10 to mark the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, an event that saw the Dalai Lama flee to India where he has since lived in exile.
Source: SBS staff with agencies
