EU's Barroso says opposes Olympic boycott
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Friday during a visit to China that he was against a boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.
By Agencies |
BEIJING: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Friday during a visit to China that he was against a boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.
"The Olympics must be a celebration of the youth of the world and it must be a success. That is why I'm against a boycott," Barroso said after meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Barroso, leading a European Union delegation here, made the remark after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was "shocked" by last month's deadly violence in Tibet and urged China to give greater autonomy to the region.
Sarkozy also said in a television interview on Thursday that he had not yet decided whether to attend the August 8 Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, but would work toward a common European position on the issue.
Sarkozy's comments, with France due to take on the EU presidency in July, could throw fuel on a simmering dispute over the recent Tibetan unrest and subsequent protests in Paris and London that disrupted the Olympic torch relay.
"The Olympics must be a celebration of the youth of the world and it must be a success. That is why I'm against a boycott," Barroso said after meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Barroso, leading a European Union delegation here, made the remark after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was "shocked" by last month's deadly violence in Tibet and urged China to give greater autonomy to the region.
Sarkozy also said in a television interview on Thursday that he had not yet decided whether to attend the August 8 Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, but would work toward a common European position on the issue.
Sarkozy's comments, with France due to take on the EU presidency in July, could throw fuel on a simmering dispute over the recent Tibetan unrest and subsequent protests in Paris and London that disrupted the Olympic torch relay.
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