Clinton urges Bush to boycott Olympics

Hillary Clinton has urged President George W Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games this summer.

The former first lady said the US president should not attend the ceremony in Beijing unless there are "major changes by the Chinese government".

The 60-year-old New York senator urged the Chinese authorities to "live up to universal human aspirations of respect for human rights and unity" and added that Americans would "stand strong in support of freedom of religious and political expression and human rights".

In a statement, Mrs Clinton said: "The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for presidential leadership.

"These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China.

"At this time, and in light of recent events, I believe President Bush should not plan on attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing."

Her comments come after protests in Paris and the UK over China's security crackdown in Tibet following a series of protests against Chinese rule which swept the region last month.

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