Ban may skip Olympic opening
11/04/2008 07:27  - (SA)  

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New York - The UN secretary-general has told China's government that he may not attend the August opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

Asked later whether Ban Ki-moon would not be attending the Olympics, spokesperson Marie Okabe said in a news conference, "Yes. That's correct".

"The secretary-general had conveyed to the Chinese government some months ago that he may not be in a position to accept the invitation to attend this important event due to scheduling issues," Okabe said.

Ban is planning "a substantive visit to China" instead, Okabe said.

Human rights campaigners have called on world leaders to skip the opening ceremony on August 8 to protest Beijing's ongoing crackdown in Tibet.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not be attending the opening, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy is considering staying away.

US Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have called on President George W Bush to boycott the ceremony.

A Brown spokesperson has said the prime minister's decision was made earlier and was not aimed at sending a message of protest to the Chinese government.

- AP

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