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October 12, 2008 3:34:53 PM CDT

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Bush Will Attend Beijing Opener

Posted Jul 4, 08 3:27 AM CDT in Sports,  World 

(Newser) – The White House has confirmed that President Bush will attend the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics—and he's likely to have plenty of seats to choose from in the VIP box, reports the New York Times. Brit Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not be in attendance. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was withholding his decision until after progress in ongoing Tibet talks—but now Chinese officials have told him not to bother.

"This is a decision by the president that he really wanted to go in support of our athletes,” said a White House spokeswoman. Critics of China's human rights record slammed the president's decision to attend. His spokeswoman denied that Bush's attendance was a political statement. “He does not look at it that way—but we recognize that others may," she said.

Source New York Times

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Chinese tourists take photos and gather to view the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, which will host the opening gala on August 8.   (Getty Images)
President Bush waves after a meeting with Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in this Nov. 20, 2005 file photo. Bush has confirmed he will attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Games.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy , seen here in an April 2008 file photo, has been told by the Chinese not to bother showing up for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.   (AP Photo/Remy Gabalda)
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George W. Bush  • China  • 2008 Beijing Olympics  • Nicolas Sarkozy  • Angela Merkel  • Olympic boycotts


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