China says it foils Olympics terrorist plot

By Ian Ransom and Benjamin Kang Lim

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities foiled plots to kidnap foreigners and carry out suicide attacks around the Beijing Olympics, police said on Thursday, in a fresh blow to the image of harmony China has sought to promote before the Games.

The European Parliament, meanwhile, voted for a possible boycott by EU leaders of the Olympics opening ceremony if China fails to talk to the Dalai Lama, raising pressure on Beijing over its handling of unrest in Tibet and neighboring areas.

Authorities in the restive northwestern region of Xinjiang detained 45 suspects and seized explosives and firearms in an operation a police spokesman said cracked two terrorist groups seeking to disrupt the Olympics.

"We are facing a real terrorist threat. All walks of life and the public should maintain a high degree of vigilance," police spokesman Wu Heping told a news conference.

China has heightened security in advance of the Games, which start on August 8, following a rash of anti-Beijing unrest in Tibet and neighboring areas.

In San Francisco, determination to avoid incidents turned the torch relay into a widely criticized game of hide-and-seek as the route was abruptly changed after the flame was besieged by human rights protesters in London and Paris.

The White House said people deserved the right to express themselves freely and peacefully.

President George W. Bush felt obliged to "speak publicly on this matter and to speak privately to the Chinese about human rights freedoms, political speech freedoms, and he's going to continue to do that before, during and after the Olympics," spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters

Bush has urged China to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader who lives in exile in India.

Bush and other Western leaders face a delicate balancing act as calls mount for them to boycott the Games' opening ceremony.

Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain said Bush should reconsider his plans to attend the opening based on whether China makes concessions toward Tibet and the Dalai Lama.

"I believe President Bush should evaluate his participation in the ceremonies surrounding the Olympics and, based on Chinese actions, decide whether it is appropriate to attend," McCain said in a written statement.

China said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown would not attend the opening, but would be at the closing ceremony.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon may not attend the opening due to a scheduling conflict, a U.N. spokeswoman said.

TORCH RELAY