الأولمبياد : أصوات في الغرب تنادي بمقاطعتها لتدفع الصين ثمن تقربها من حكومة نفذت الإبادة بدارف

Quote: News Article by AFP posted on March 29, 2007 at 17:47:42: EST (-5 GMT) China rejects calls for Olympic boycott over Sudan BEIJING, March 29, 2007 (AFP) - China on Thursday rejected as "totally wrong" calls for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics over its support for Sudan's government, which is accused of involvement in genocide in its Darfur region. "People who try to connect the Olympics with Darfur in an attempt to win ballots or increase their prestige or reputation are totally wrong on that scheme," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular media briefing. French centrist presidential candidate Francois Bayrou last week called for a boycott of the 2008 Games over allegations Sudanese government-backed forces were carrying out genocide in Darfur. US actress and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Mia Farrow also said in a Wall Street Journal commentary this week that the Beijing Games would become known as the "Genocide Olympics". "We don't think its appropriate to connect the Darfur issue with the Olympic Games in Beijing and we don't think it will be popular with people around the world," Qin said. "We are confident we will hold a successful and high-quality Olympic Games." Fighting between rebels and armed pro-government groups in Darfur has killed 200,000 people and displaced more than two million in the past four years, according to the United Nations. The Khartoum regime stands accused of genocide by Washington for its repression of the rebellion. It has consistently rejected the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to stem the bloodshed. China is one of Sudan's most important international allies, buying around 60 percent of the African nation's oil exports, and has used its UN Security Council veto to block moves condemning Khartoum. "China hopes the Darfur region can realise peace and stability. On this issue, China shares the same goal as the international community and is making unremitting efforts to this end," Qin said. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Sudan in February, but disappointed observers said he applied only mild pressure on Khartoum to reform.