Bush is Going to Beijing for Olympic Opening Ceremony

Washington – The President of the United States will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8th. This was confirmed by the White House today. Beforehand, Bush’s participation in the opening ceremony was called into question by the Beijing government, in regards to the protection of human rights, particularly in light of the Tibet question.

Bush specified that his visit to Beijing is part of a tour that also includes stops in South Korea and Thailand. His announced visit to Seoul will take place on the 5th and 6th of August. This means that Bush will come to Thailand for a short visit, than on the 8th of August he will go to Beijing with the First Lady, Laura Bush, to assist in the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Over the past few months, different human rights organizations have called for a boycott of the Olympic ceremony, asking political leaders of Western countries to make a gesture of protest against Chinese repression in Tibet.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as well as the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, have declared that they won’t assist in the ceremony. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, decided not to participate either. In the meantime, the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, decided to wait for the outcome of discussions between Beijing and the Dalai Lama’s representatives before making his decision. As for Italy, the only member of Berlusconi’s Cabinet who will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic games is Rocco Crimi, the under-secretary of the sports ministry.