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Media statement, 23rd May 2007
The Irish Government should threaten to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games unless the Chinese Government agrees to the immediate deployment of UN peacekeeping troops in Sudan’s violent Darfur region, GOAL charged today.
China has major economic interests in Sudan, buying the majority of the country’s oil output. The veto-yielding Security Council member has consistently blocked tough UN resolutions on Darfur, and has continued to strike economic agreements with Khartoum, ignoring calls for sanctions.
“China is the best and only lever on the Khartoum regime,” O’Shea said. “Boycotting the Olympics, jeopardising the prestige of the Games and creating a public relations disaster is the only action that will make China sit up and listen.
“Isn’t it peculiar that in preparation for the Games, Beijing is mobilizing 20,000 security personnel to ensure a safe environment for the Games - the same number of troops agreed for rapid deployment by last years’ Security Council Resolution to ensure a safe environment in Darfur. This UN resolution was blocked by China,” O’Shea added.
“China’s complicity in the Darfur genocide makes a mockery of its Olympic slogan, 'One world, one dream'. Which is more important?” O'Shea asked. “The Olympic games taking place for the greater glory of China, or the lives of 3.5 million vulnerable civilians reliant on aid for survival in Darfur?”
United Nations investigators have found most of the small arms fuelling the conflict and human rights abuses in Darfur are Chinese.
“This flow of arms into Darfur has been matched by a flow of aid agencies out of the region which has become too violent to operate in. In the latter half of 2006, 13 humanitarian workers were killed on the job, threatening the very sustainability of the world’s largest aid operation, and putting the lives of millions beyond reach.”
“Meanwhile 400,000 people have died in the senseless conflict.”
“Hopefully there will not be the necessity to carry out the threat – we all want to see Irish athletes distinguish themselves at the Olympics,” said O’Shea who added “should the Irish Government take this action, other, more powerful nations may be persuaded to exert pressure on the Chinese authorities.”
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