French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games next month despite an earlier threat to boycott over a crackdown in Tibet, according to ABC News, Australia.
Mr Sarkozy told Chinese President Hu Jintao he would go to Beijing during a half-hour meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Eight industrialised nations summit in northern Japan.
Mr Sarkozy had threatened to boycott the August 8 ceremony following a Chinese crackdown in Tibet in March that sparked international outrage, leading to speculation that some world leaders might shun the games.
Mr Sarkozy has left open the possibility of holding face-to-face talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who has met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President George W Bush.
See also an AP video on the topic:
Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister has asked for a meeting with the Chinese ambassador over comments he made threatening “serious consequences” if Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama.
