French President refuses to rule out Olympics ceremony boycott
TARBES, France (AFP) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that "all options were open" regarding a possible boycott of the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony.
"All options are open and I appeal to the Chinese leaders' sense of responsibility," Sarkozy said during a visit to the southwestern Pyrenees region.
Aides to Sarkozy said France had not shut the door on a possible boycott of the August 8 Olympics opening ceremony, even though it still opposed calls to stay away from the entire games.
"I want a dialogue to start and I will step up my response according to the response given by the Chinese authorities," Sarkozy said.
France has joined the United States and other western governments to call for a dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama to resolve the crisis in Tibet, where a crackdown has left at least 140 dead, according to Tibetan exiles.
The media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for a boycott of the opening ceremony to protest China's human rights record and the violence in Tibet.
RSF director Robert Menard on Tuesday asked for a meeting with Sarkozy to make his case for a boycott of the ceremony after he returned from Greece where he staged a protest that disrupted the lighting of the Olympic flame.
"We are not calling on athletes to boycott. We are asking Mister Sarkozy to say that if the situation does not improve in Tibet and in China, he will not be present on August 8 at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games," said Menard.
Sarkozy on Monday called on China to show restraint in Tibet and bring an end to violence through dialogue with the Dalai Lama, a statement from the Elysee said.
Sarkozy sent a message to President Hu Jintao expressing his concern over the violence in Tibet.
