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IOC Tells Beijing: Don't Block Internet
By Stephen Wade
The Associated Press
Tuesday 01 April 2008
Beijing - The Internet must be open during the Beijing Olympics. That was the
message a top-ranking International Olympic Committee official delivered Tuesday
to Beijing organizers during the first of three days of meetings - the
last official sessions between IOC inspectors and the Chinese hosts before the
games begin in just over four months.
Beijing routinely blocks Chinese access to some foreign news Web sites and
blogs, a practice it has stepped up since rioting broke out over two weeks ago
in Tibet.
Kevan Gosper, vice chairman of the IOC coordinating commission, said restricting
access to the Internet during the games "would reflect very poorly"
on the host nation.
"This morning we discussed and insisted again," Gosper said. "Our
concern is that the press (should be) able to operate as it has at previous
games."
Gosper said the Chinese had an obligation under the "host city agreement"
to provide Internet access to the 30,000 accredited and non-accredited journalists
expected to attend.
"There was some criticism that the Internet closed down during events
relating to Tibet in previous weeks," Gosper said.
Laws that lifted most restrictions on foreign media went into effect Jan. 1,
2007. The rules are due to expire in October.
"I'm satisfied that the Chinese understand the need for this and they
will do it," Gosper added.
When asked about Gosper's comments, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said
China's "management" of the Internet followed the "general practice
of the international community."
She acknowledged that China bans some Internet content, and said other countries
did the same. She declined to say if the Internet would be unrestricted for
journalists during the Olympics.
Gosper spoke after Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the inspection committee, addressed
his Chinese hosts. Without being specific, Verbruggen noted that China's Aug.
8-24 games had become embroiled in controversy.
The unrest in Tibet - and China's response - has heightened calls
for a boycott or a partial boycott of the games. This comes in the wake of worries
over Beijing's polluted air, and calls for China to increase pressure on Sudan
to end fighting in Darfur.
The Darfur issue prompted Hollywood director Steven Spielberg to step down
as an artistic adviser for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The torch relay, which left Beijing on Tuesday for Kazakhstan and a monthlong
global tour, is likely to draw protests and blemish an event Chinese organizers
had hoped would generate positive images of the country.
"Clearly in recent times more than ever, the Beijing Games are being drawn
into issues that do not necessarily have a link with the operation of the games,"
Verbruggen said. "We're all aware the international community is discussing
these topics, but it is important to remember that our main focus during these
meetings is the successful delivery of the games operations."
The IOC has refused to speak out against China's actions in Tibet, saying it
is a sporting body, not a political one. It has maintained the Beijing Olympics
"are a force for good" in opening up the country.
Liu Qi, president of the organizing committee, told Verbruggen the preparations
were in the "final stage" but suggested the hosts would not let up.
"There's a saying in China that if you want to walk 100 steps -
though you have walked 90 - you have finished only half the journey. We
still have 10 steps left, and those 10 are very critical to the whole journey."
The People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper, warned in an editorial
Tuesday that troubles lie ahead in the four months before the games.
"With the opening of the games approaching, the burden on our shoulders
is heavier and the task tougher," it said. "We must keep a clear head,
improving our awareness of the potential dangers, and bravely facing all the
difficulties and challenges."
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