EU Upset Over Sarkozy's Olympic Decision

CHEN:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to accept Beijing's invitation to the opening ceremony of the Olympics next month is not going down well with many EU officials. Sarkozy is being accused of hypocrisy and groveling to the Chinese communist regime over trade issues. Let's take a closer look.

STORY:
Sarkozy's decision to attend the Games' opening ceremony unleashed a storm of objections in the European assembly yesterday.

Just hours after Nicolas Sarkozy's office announced that he would attend, the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, said he would skip the Olympic opening ceremony, completely.

Poettering, a close ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel, blamed a "lack of progress" in talks between China and representatives of exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

Green floor leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit, accused Sarkozy of hypocrisy and exposing Europe to "on-going humiliation."

[Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Green Floor Leader MEP]:
"Everybody says things will get better [in China], thanks to the Olympic Games. In 2001, we said that by giving China the Olympic Games, things would get better. Since 2001, nothing has happened and things are getting worse. So what are you telling us -- that in four weeks it's going to get better? But why should it get any better? The Chinese are winning. The Chinese Communist party is winning. The harder they are the more you are on your knees. And the more you get to your knees the more they win. Why do you think this should change? They will control everything at the Olympic Games. They will control radios, they will control televisions. But they will not control Sarkozy, that is true. They will even offer him a dinner with chopsticks. It's going to be really nice. They are going to say 'Oh Mr. President, we give you hugs' -- its all going to be touchy feely, and Mr. Sarkozy will just say, 'that's three nuclear power stations, 36 high-speed trains, and I don't know what else.' This is abhorrent."

Lawmakers slammed Sarkozy's decision, accusing him of letting down the European Union's efforts to pressure China on civil rights and Tibet.

[Marco Cappato, Italian MEP]:
"What sort of Europe is this that says it's up to each member state to go or not to go to the inauguration ceremony and that the French president has consulted with his partners on whether or not to attend?! What kind of Europe, what kind of president are we talking about; what kind of partnership with China? Europe has to be seen to stand up for human rights and political rights of all [people] in China and in Tibet."

The EU's uproar over the Chinese regime's handling of human rights appears to be getting louder in lead up to the start of the Games .

Category:

News & Politics

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[ExNihiloJimmy]

Oh well. Go France whoooooo yea!

[rrXIII]

wow very biased, but good thing,, these douchebag is talking to them selves since no body even attended

[11Apr19Apr]

Oh, I love Daniel Cohn Bendit! He is so into the point everytime!