France's Sarkozy To Attend Olympics Opener

French President Ends Threat To Boycott Event Over China's Treatment Of Tibet

(AP)  French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening of the Beijing Olympics next month, his office said Wednesday, putting an end to his threat to boycott the event over China's treatment of Tibet.

Sarkozy informed Chinese President Hu Jintao of his decision during talks on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit of industrialized powers in Japan, his office said.

"The chief of state stressed the Olympic values of peace, friendship and brotherhood, and wished great success to the Beijing Olympic Games," the statement said, adding that Sarkozy "confirmed his intention" to attend the Aug. 8 ceremony.

For months, the French president had left open the possibility of boycotting the event to show disapproval of China's violent crackdown on Tibet after riots and protests there in March.

Sarkozy had pushed the two sides to talk, saying he could attend the opening if discussions between China and envoys of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, made more progress.

The Dalai Lama is expected to visit France in August. The French president has said in the past that it is "possible" he might meet with the visiting Tibetan leader, though China disapproves of such contacts.

Wednesday's statement made no mention of the Dalai Lama or the talks between his envoys and the Chinese. It said Sarkozy consulted his European Union partners about his decision to attend the ceremony, and he will represent both France and the 27-nation EU there. France currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Sarkozy and other world leaders have been under pressure from human rights groups to skip the event.

President Bush has also confirmed his attendance, saying this week at the summit in Japan that it would be an "affront to the Chinese people" if he did not attend the ceremony. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he would skip the opener but attend the closer.

International pressure has built on both China and the Dalai Lama for an easing of tensions following the anti-government riots that rocked Tibet. China has governed Tibet since communist troops marched into the Himalayan region in the 1950s.

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