China says Darfur-Olympics link "unreasonable"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Activists who link atrocities in the Darfur region in Sudan with the Beijing Olympics are being "unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair," China said after a day of publicized celebrity protests.

"As the Darfur issue is neither an internal issue of China, nor is it caused by China, it is completely unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair for certain organizations and individuals to link the two as one," said a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy late on Tuesday.

The statement followed a protest led by Nobel Peace Prize winners in the Save Darfur Coalition and Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg's withdrawal as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Summer Olympics over China's policy on Darfur.

China is a leading oil customer and supplier of weapons to Sudan and is accused by critics of providing diplomatic cover for Khartoum as it stonewalls international efforts to send peacekeepers to contain the Darfur conflict in western Sudan.

Chinese Embassy spokesman Wang Baodong said efforts to link the conflict in Darfur "contravenes the universally recognized principle of non-politicization of sports, and runs counter to the Olympic spirit."

China had played a constructive role in diplomacy to resolve the Darfur conflict, the embassy said.

"We sincerely hope that relevant parties respect facts, and make a fair and objective judgment on the positive role played by China on the Darfur issue," Wang said in the statement, which did not directly refer to Spielberg's decision.

Nine Nobel Peace Prize laureates -- including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel and Jody Williams -- signed a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday urging China to uphold Olympic ideals by pressing Sudan to stop atrocities in Darfur.

The letter was also signed by U.S. politicians, Olympic medalists and entertainers and delivered to Chinese embassies and missions as part of events in the United States and Europe staged to mark six months before the August 8-24 Olympics.