French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is backtracking from comments suggesting he was open to a mini-boycott of the Beijing Olympics by VIPs at the opening ceremony, saying the proposal was "unrealistic."
Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders came out in favor on Tuesday of an opening ceremony boycott by heads of state and government, as well as royalty. The president of the EU Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, also said politicians should consider staying away from the ceremony if violence continues in Tibet.
Kouchner's original comments helped propel the idea. On Tuesday, Kouchner called it "interesting" and said he wanted to discuss it with other foreign ministers from the 27-nation EU next week. He began backtracking that same evening, telling France-2 television: "We're not in favor of it."
Yesterday, Kouchner told RMC radio and BFM television, "It's not a bad idea."
But "it seems unrealistic," he said. "There are a lot of good ideas that can't be put into practice."
Violent protests in Tibet, the most serious challenge in almost two decades to China's rule in the region, are forcing human rights campaigners to re-examine their approach to the Aug. 8 to Aug. 24 Games.
In yesterday's radio interview, Kouchner, the former leader of aid group Doctors Without Borders, said he hoped the situation would ease. But he said human rights could not always be the main consideration in international relations.
"Honestly it's very nice to talk about human rights, I've spoken about them all my life and I will continue to speak about them," he said. "But there are two sides to the coin."
"When you're dealing in international relations with countries as important as China, obviously when you make economic decisions it's sometimes at the expense of human rights," he said. "That's elementary realism."
Meanwhile, Australian athletes at the Games will not be allowed to comment on their teammates or opponents, but criticism of China's human rights record won't be stifled.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said yesterday that athletes selected to compete at the Games will be required to sign a standard team agreement asking that they only comment to the media about their own events, prospects and performances.
AOC media director Mike Tancred said the agreement was only intended to stop Australian competitors from criticizing their teammates or opponents.
"Our athletes in Beijing will be entitled to speak on any issue, including human rights," he said.
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