China censures linking between Darfur and Olympic Games

July 5, 2007 (BEIJING) — China on Thursday dismissed the claim made by some people that the Beijing Olympic Games should be linked with China’s policy on Darfur as “sheer nonsense”.

“Most of the people who harbor such a claim know little about China’s efforts on the Darfur issue and some of them harbour a cold-war mentality and take a distorted view,” China’s Special Envoy for Darfur Liu Guijin told a briefing on Thursday afternoon.

The briefing came days after Liu concluded his visit to Sudan and three other African nations and his participation in an international conference on Darfur in Paris.

It was Liu’s second visit to Africa after he assumed the post of China’s Special Envoy for Darfur in May.

“The fundamental spirit and principle of the Olympics is the non-politicalization of sport, and those people’s claim to connect the Olympics with the Darfur issue is sheer nonsense,” he said.

On the Darfur issue, China has played a responsible role and taken concrete actions, producing effective results, Liu said.

“China’s endeavors have contributed a lot to the fact that Sudan accepted, without condition, the third phase of the peace plan over the Darfur issue put forward by former U.N chief Kofi Annan,” he said.

Liu said China’s policy on the Darfur issue had been recognized by the world’s leading powers and particularly by the African and developing countries.

“As the policy is positive and effective, why should China change its policy?” he said.

(Xinhua)