Swiss President Pascal Couchepin has confirmed that he will go to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8.
This content was published on
1 minute
There had been uncertainty over his attendance since riots in Tibet in March, which left a number of people dead.
Couchepin justified his decision on the grounds that Switzerland houses the seat of the International Olympic Committee and that it was therefore “natural” that he should go. He said his ministerial colleagues had left the decision up to him.
Speaking to foreign journalists on Tuesday he expressed the hope that China would continue to make progress over human rights.
In the immediate aftermath of the riots Couchepin had said he “expected” to go.
The events in Tibet sparked worldwide protests and calls in some quarters for a boycott of the Olympics.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Expert urges caution over anti-Chinese protests
This content was published on
Nicolas Zufferey, head of Chinese studies at Geneva University, told swissinfo that the Chinese government is not as strong as it appears and western protests could well jeopardise earlier signs of openness. On Wednesday the Olympic torch will be paraded in Pakistan after brief and uninterrupted stopovers in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East…
This content was published on
More than 80 people have been killed and several hundred injured, and protests are spreading to other parts of Tibet, Kelsang Gyaltsen told swissinfo. “Even though the Chinese government doesn’t dare to officially announce it, the situation in Lhasa is de facto martial law,” he said. Schools and monasteries are sealed off, and there are…
This content was published on
Ogi, who was a member of the Swiss cabinet and the UN special adviser on sport for development and peace, tells swissinfo that instead the hosts of this summer’s Olympics in Beijing should be persuaded to take certain decisions. China and the Lausanne-based International Olympic Committee (IOC) are under pressure after recent human rights abuses…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.