EU says Olympic boycott over Tibet not right answer
BRDO, Slovenia (Reuters) - A boycott of this year's Olympic Games in Beijing over China's response to the unrest in the Himalayan region of Tibet would not be the right answer, the European Union said on Monday.
"We condemn violence. But on the question of boycotting the Games, nobody around the table today believes that a boycott is the right answer," EU Sports Commissioner Jan Figel told a news conference following a meeting of the bloc's 27 sports ministers and members of the International Olympic Committee.
China, which has sent in troops to enforce control in the regional capital Lhasa, said on Monday the violent protests by Tibetans were organized by followers of the Dalai Lama seeking to derail the Beijing Olympics in August.
"Not one world leader has sought a boycott of the Games, not even the great Dalai Lama," Pat Hickey, president of the European Olympic Committee, told the news conference.
(Reporting by Manca Ulcar; Writing by Darren Ennis; Editing by
Dale Hudson)
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