The United Nations will send Willi Lemke, a newly appointed Special Representative for Sports and Development, to Beijing as soon as possible. Lemke, who doesn’t advocate boycotting the Olympic Games, hopes his mission will include a trip to Tibet. “I know I will go [to] Beijing without heavy armament, I have only the power of words,” he said. From The Times of India:
“UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants me to inform him how the Olympic Games can be used as a platform for peace,” Lemke said in a press conference.
“I want to see the situation for myself,” added the 61-year-old. Lemke, whose new UN position was announced on Tuesday, said the human rights issue and recent unrest in Tibet is the “main problem” which will occupy him during the forthcoming months.