U.S., EU Rule Out Boycott Over Tibet, Push for Dialogue
Governments around the world have issued measured responses to China's crackdown on Tibetan protesters, despite an outcry from human-rights groups and calls to use this summer's Olympic Games as a forum to condemn Beijing.
The White House and European Union sports ministers have ruled out a boycott of the Games, which are set for August in Beijing. Instead, governments called for negotiations between Tibetans and China.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called on Beijing to exercise restraint and "engage" with the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhists' spiritual leader and an adviser to the Tibetan government-in-exile, which is based in India.
British Foreign Minister David Miliband echoed her call. "I very much hope that one lesson to be learned from the tragic events of the last few days is that substantive dialogue is the only way forward," he said.
India and Japan have expressed concern about the violence, which started March 14 when Tibetan protesters rioted in Lhasa. China said more than 100 people surrendered to Chinese police in and around Lhasa, where the government says 16 were killed in the violence. Clashes between protesters and police have spread to other parts of China with significant Tibetan populations.
China has blamed the Dalai Lama for masterminding the protests, which the spiritual leader has denied. Premier Wen Jiabao said he was prepared to hold dialogues with the Dalai Lama if the spiritual leader doesn't support the total independence of Tibet.
Among the most-pointed official reactions to the Tibet turmoil came from French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who said Tuesday that French officials would consider bypassing the Olympics' opening ceremonies. But Wednesday he called the idea "unrealistic," according to the Associated Press.
Britain's Prince Charles, long a supporter of Tibetan independence, said in January -- well before unrest began -- that he wouldn't attend the Beijing Olympics.
Any Olympic boycott and continued international criticism could spark a hardening of China's stance and a nationalistic backlash among the Chinese public, observers say.
"Certainly there will be resentment among the Chinese people toward countries that boycott the event. Even expressing a desire for it will upset us," said Niu Jun, a foreign-affairs professor at Beijing University.
The International Campaign for Tibet, the largest Tibetan advocacy group, said it is advising world leaders and politicians to stay away from the opening ceremonies because of the crackdown, though they aren't calling for a boycott of the Games. A Paris-based press-freedom group, Reporters Without Borders, has taken the same position.
Kate Saunders, a spokeswoman for the International Campaign for Tibet, said her organization could change its position to an outright boycott "if the situation in Tibet deteriorates."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has condemned Chinese actions against the protesters. She was scheduled to have an audience with the Dalai Lama in India Friday, an event scheduled before the crackdown.
"The Olympic Games in Beijing this summer should provide an opportunity for more free expression, not less," said Ms. Pelosi. On an official visit to Beijing in 1991, long before she became House speaker and two years after the protests in Tiananmen Square, the congresswoman slipped off to the square and unfurled a banner that read "To those who died for democracy in China."
The international response on Tibet could become more negative if China's efforts to quell the demonstrations become more violent or long-lasting. Maneuvering among U.S. politicians ahead of November's presidential election could also drive Washington toward a harder line, which could influence other capitals. And conservative American organizations have criticized President Bush for being too soft on Beijing.
"I think this [push to boycott the opening ceremonies] will gain some momentum. The Tibet situation is not going to go away," said Michael Green of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, who served as Mr. Bush's chief Asia adviser in 2004 and 2005.
The International Olympic Committee has already brushed off the call for a Games boycott. On March 15, President Jacques Rogge said a "boycott doesn't solve anything."
Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, said yesterday that a planned pre-Games torch relay that includes Tibet will go on as planned.
By Jason Leow and Jay Solomon
Wall Street Journal March 20, 2008
