British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has become the latest world leader to announce that he will boycott the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics:
LONDON — Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that he would not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games this summer.
The prime minister has been under intense political pressure over the issue. Asked about it repeatedly, he has until now refused to rule out going, and even seemed to imply that he did plan to go.
In response to a question at a news conference at 10 Downing Street last week, for instance, he said, “I think President Sarkozy said himself that he expected Britain, because we are going to host the next Olympics, to be present at the Olympic ceremonies, and I will certainly be there.”
But on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the plan all along had been for Mr. Brown to attend just the closing ceremony, as it was “not practical” for him to visit twice.
“There has been no change in our position,” said the spokeswoman, who, following standard government procedure, spoke on condition of anonymity. “I am flummoxed by this media-created storm.”
Meanwhile, the boycott continues to be an issue in the U.S. Presidential election.
Yesterday, Barack Obama left open the possibility that he would support a boycott:
LEVITTOWN, Pa. — Sen. Barack Obama today took a wait-and-see approach to a potential boycott of the opening ceremonies in Beijing.
“If the Chinese do not take steps to help stop the genocide in Darfur and to respect the dignity, security, and human rights of the Tibetan people, then the President should boycott the opening ceremonies,” he said in a statement. “As I have communicated in public and to the President, it is past time for China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people, to allow foreign journalists and diplomats access to the region, and to engage the Dalai Lama in meaningful talks about the future of Tibet. I am also deeply concerned about China’s failure to support efforts to halt the genocide in Darfur.”
“Regarding the Beijing Olympics this summer,” he added, “a boycott of the opening ceremonies should be firmly on the table, but this decision should be made closer to the Games.”
And John McCain gave a similarly non-committal response when asked by Sean Hannity:
HANNITY: “Is it a bad idea to boycott the Opening Ceremony?”
MCCAIN: “I think the President ought to keep his options open and use that as a pressure lever, and he has plenty of time to decide that. Obviously, we don’t want the Chinese to continue this kind of behavior.”
John McCain: “I think the President ought to evaluate the situation as it evolves and see what the Chinese do in response to perhaps granting more autonomy, perhaps getting into conversations with the Dali Lama, who we all know is a world figure. I think the President ought to keep his options open here and decide as we see the situation and the threat evolving. All of us condemn the brutal repression that the Chinese inflicted upon Tibetans and protesters. We’re very concerned about it. If I were him, I’d keep all my options open.”
Nice way not to answer the question.
