Rudd to attend Beijing Olympics opening

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s decision to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics has sparked concerns about the message he is sending on human rights.

Mr Rudd ended months of indecision on Thursday to reveal he will head to China in August.

Uncertainty had surrounded Mr Rudd’s plans, following calls for him to boycott the opening ceremony because of China’s crackdown in Tibet.

As recently as last week he was still citing uncertainty over diary arrangements.

But on Thursday morning, at a farewell ceremony for athletes, he told them he would be in Beijing to cheer them on.

Mr Rudd will also attend an Australian team reception and present a flag to the team’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

“I, like so many Australians, will be there with pride watching you, cheering you on and urging you to do your absolute best for Australia as I know you will,” he said.

Mr Rudd – a renowned Sinophile who has been accused of a China bias in his foreign policy – said he was relaxed about accepting China’s invitation, which is supported by the Australian Olympics Committee (AOC).

“I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Mr Rudd will be in Beijing from August 7 to 10.

“We’ve made it work and I’ll be going to the opening ceremony and I’ll be there for a few days after that and come back, I think altogether about three days.”

Some world leaders have been reluctant to confirm they’re going to the Games, which have been dogged by controversy over China’s handling of human rights issues, including Tibet.

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reportedly won’t be going to the opening ceremony, although Mr Brown is expected to attend the closing ceremony, when 2012 host London is presented with the Olympic flag.

The leaders of Canada, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic aren’t expected to attend the opening ceremony.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is also expected to be a no-show, but US President George W Bush is likely to attend.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Canberra said it welcomed Mr Rudd’s decision.

But human rights advocates believe he is sending the wrong message.

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said Mr Rudd should not go until Beijing makes real progress on Tibet.

“It’s the wrong thing to do, Mr Rudd,” he told reporters.

“Mr Rudd should be not going to the opening ceremony unless there was a real breakthrough for the Tibetans in negotiations between Hu Jintao, the top Communist leader in Beijing, and the Dalai Lama and his representatives.

“It’s not much of an ask.”

Senator Brown suggested Communist leaders would be “rubbing their hands with glee” because Mr Rudd’s tough talk on Tibet when he visited Beijing in April had come to nothing.

The Australia Tibet Council expressed disappointment that Mr Rudd made his decision before discussions between representatives of Beijing and the Dalai Lama next week.

“It takes the pressure off China to enter into formal negotiations on the future of Tibet before the Olympics,” ATC executive officer Paul Bourke said.

But the AOC says Mr Rudd will boost athletes’ morale.

“It’s good for our team that the prime minister is there. I think it’s also very important for our county that he is there,” said AOC president John Coates.

Source : http://news.smh.com.au/