Polish PM Turns Down China
The Prime Minister of Poland has declined an invitation to attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing. The crisis in Tibet provided the final drop that filled the chalice.
"My evaluation is very clear," said PM Donald Tusk, "the presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate."
Poland has long sympathised with the plight of Tibet. Soviet-era Poland bore much in common with Tibet, and the exiled Dalai Lama struggles with similar problems to those of the late Polish Pope John Paul II. As it was, the Polish pontiff was visited by the Dalai Lama more than any other dignitary on the international stage.
Other world leaders who have declined the invitation to Beijing include Czech President Vaclav Klaus and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also expressed doubts about attending the ceremony.