French President Sarkozy to attend Olympic opening ceremony (Roundup)

Europe News

Jul 9, 2008, 10:47 GMT

Tokyo/Paris - The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday that he would attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, putting an end to the threat of a boycott over China's reaction to Tibetan protests earlier this year. A statement released at the site of the G8 summit in Toyako, Japan, said Sarkozy would travel to Beijing on August 8 and that he had discussed the issue with his European counterparts. As France currently holds the rotating EU presidency, Sarkozy would represent his country as well as the European Union at the Olympics ceremony. The French president apparently told his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in their meeting Wednesday in Toyako of his decision. Sarkozy had earlier said he was 'shocked' by the violent Chinese reaction to the Tibetan demonstrations and suggested he might boycott the August 8 Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing unless the Chinese government opened talks with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader. Talks between Chinese officials and representatives of the Dalai Lama have since been held. However, Sarkozy's decision prompted a sharp reaction on the part of French human rights activists, particularly the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders. 'By taking this decision, President Sarkozy is breaking promises he gave,' the organisation said in a statement. 'He clearly conditioned his attendance on the resumption of a real dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama. The meetings recently held in Beijing went nowhere, and Chinese officials continue to denounce the Dalai Lama's clique.' The head of the group, Robert Menard, told journalists in Paris that the decision had left him 'disappointed and bitter.' 'I expected more courage from Sarkozy,' Menard said. 'He said during his (presidential) campaign that he would make human rights the centre of his policies, but he is no different than his predecessors.' Menard said that the decision represented a 'capitulation' to the Chinese and would have a devastating effect on Chinese human rights activists. 'You will see how the dissidents will be treated from now on,' he warned. The Dalai Lama is expected to visit France in mid-August. The French Le Figaro daily reported Wednesday that the Chinese ambassador to Paris warned that if Sarkozy were to meet with him it would have 'grave consequences' for bilateral relations. A Chinese diplomat told the daily that this could mean cancelling Chinese orders for 56 high-speed TGV trains and more than 100 Airbus aircaft.

View blog reactions

If you liked this story please support M&C and Buzz the site on Yahoo.

Latest Headlines in Europe

Talkback

There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)

Latest from M&C Blogs

Is Sarah Palin a saviour or a strange choice? - Global Eye on September 2, 2008 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

Obama: the gloves come off in Denver - Global Eye on August 29, 2008 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Biden: good choice or admission of Obama's weakness? - Global Eye on August 25, 2008 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Upside-down House - The World in Pictures on August 4, 2008 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Church of our Lady in Dresden, Germany - The World in Pictures on August 4, 2008 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Giant Orange - The World in Pictures on July 15, 2008 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Europe

French President Sarkozy to attend Olympic opening ceremony (Roundup)

Europe News

Latest Headlines in Europe

Talkback

Latest from M&C Blogs

Similar articles

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print