Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Brazil-Mexico Business Forum in March 2008, in Recife. Silva will not be attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in China in August, an official adviser said Wednesday.
(AFP/File) |
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will not be attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in China in August, an official adviser said Wednesday.
The decision had nothing to do with a possible boycott of the ceremony being discussed in some other countries as a result of China's repression of riots in Tibet, presidential adviser for international affairs Marcos Aurelio Garcia told reporters.
Rather, it was simply that Lula had never planned to visit Beijing for the occasion, he said.
"The president will not be going to the opening of the Olympic Games under any circumstances," Garcia said.
He added that Brazil's Olympic Committee was responsible for Brazilian athletes' participation in the Games, and said: "As far as I know, up to now no organization has proposed a boycott by athletes as occurred in the (1980) Moscow Games and the (1984) Los Angeles Games."
Several other leaders around the world have said they will not attend the China Olympics ceremony, or are debating about whether to go.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already said she will not attend, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has not ruled out following suit. Other EU chiefs appeared split on the issue.
Japan's Emperor Akihito and other members of the royal family were unlikely to attend despite being invited by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao last year, according to a report Wednesday.
In the United States, congressional moves are underway to block President George W. Bush from going, though the White House is resisting the pressure.
China's foreign ministry on Tuesday warned against countries boycotting the Olympic opening ceremony.
"Not attending does not mean isolating China," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.
"If they don't participate, it is the same as leaving the Olympic family. It will undermine their own interests," she said.
Exiled Tibetan leaders have put the death toll from the Chinese crackdown in Tibet at 135-140 people, with another 1,000 injured and many detained.
China says Tibetan rioters killed 18 civilians and two police officers.
