Bush to attend Olympics, not sure when

Bush has confirmed his participation in the Beijing Olympics but is unclear about attending the opening ceremony.

The US President George W Bush will attend the Olympics in China, the White House has said but left unclear whether he would attend the opening ceremonies.

“The president’s plans have not changed. He plans to go to the Olympics to support American athletes who are there competing,” White House Deputy Spokesman Scott Stanzel said at Crawford, Texas.

The US president has come under pressure from human rights groups, his Democratic critics, and even his Republican party’s presumptive White House nominee, to skip the event in protest over China’s human rights record, its crackdown in Tibet, and support for Sudan despite the crisis in Darfur.

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The Spokesman said “the president’s position on the Olympics has not changed. The president believes that everyone around the world should have the right to express their views freely and openly. That’s something that the president talks frequently with leaders in China about. That is a discussion that the president has had and will have before the Olympics, he’ll have during the Olympics, and will have after the Olympics.”

Asked specifically if Bush will be going to the opening ceremony, Stanzel replied “we haven’t made any announcements about the president’s specific schedule. So I would just tell you to stay tuned for that”.

The White House also did not said if the President has spoken to the Dalai Lama who is currently on a visit to the United States’ first spending five days in Seattle attending a Seeds of Compassion conference.

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

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