VILNIUS- Lithuanian
President Valdas Adamkus has decided not to go to the Beijing Summer Olympic
Games 2008, announced his press service.
According to the press release, the Lithuanian Head-of-State will not take part in the opening of the
Olympic Games, however plans to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) this
fall.
The release notes that Adamkus wishes the greatest of luck to
the Lithuanian athletes and
plans on be active in rooting for their success.
Having noted that hosting the Olympic Games is a great honor
and responsibility for any country, as it thus becomes committed to maintain
and respect the spirit and principles of the Olympics, Adamkus wished China the
best of luck in organizing this global athletic event.
The Lithuanian
Head-of-State also hopes that the Olympic Games will help the world to become
more familiar with China's rich history, culture and people, and China's
opening up to the world and the dialogue and progress currently in development
will be successfully continued after the games as well.
As the president decided against going to Beijing, the
country's Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas will be the highest-ranking Lithuanian official present in the
Olympic Games. The prime minister will be visiting in China together with his
wife August 17-25th.
Worldwide prompts for boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games
spread following actions taken by the Chinese government to suppress unrest
that broke out this spring in Tibet. A non-formal freedom for Tibet support
group operating in Lithuania has
also made analogous exhortations many a time and went on to gather signatures
of over 3,000 inhabitants in favor of the initiative.
Mass protests against China's rule in Tibet broke out in
March. Encounters between Tibetans and Chinese police as well as army units
were reported, claiming human lives. Protests in Tibet's capital Lhasa turned
into riots and later extended to neighboring regions of China with a large
population of Tibetans.
Lithuania and other members of the European Union (EU) have stated concern over
the unrest in Tibet, speaking for peaceful regulation of the relations between
the Chinese administration and Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.
The president's decision not to attend the
opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing is the only possible political move to
draw the attention to the Tibet issue, says Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas.
"I see the president's move as a certain political move
of support to Tibet's independence aspiration. The president is not attending
the opening ceremony, and participation in the Olympic Games in general is an
entirely different thing. I am a guest invited by the International Olympic
Committee and I intend to be there to support our athletes," the
vacationing prime minister said.
In an interview to BNS,
the prime minister restated that the essence of Olympic Games is that
"people set aside conflicts and wars."
"I believe sports and politics should not be confused.
However, on the other hand, non-participation in the Opening Ceremony of the
Olympic Games is the only possible move to draw the attention to Tibetan
problems," said Kirkilas.
