China says play fair over Beijing/Darfur link

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged activists linking its stance over Sudan to the Beijing Olympics to play fair and rebel groups in Darfur praised the decision by film director Steven Spielberg to quit as an artistic adviser to the Games.

Spielberg said he was withdrawing his services because of China's policy on the Darfur conflict. China is accused by critics of providing diplomatic cover as Khartoum stonewalls efforts to send peacekeepers into the western region.

His conscience would not allow him to continue his work on the opening and closing ceremonies for the August Games while "unspeakable crimes" continued to be committed, Spielberg said.

The Chinese embassy in Washington, while not directly referring to Spielberg's decision, called on "relevant parties" to respect the facts about the "positive role played by China on the Darfur issue" and shy away from politicising the Olympics.

"As the Darfur issue is neither an internal issue of China, nor is it caused by China, it is completely unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair for certain organizations and individuals to link the two as one," the embassy statement said.

Darfur's splintered rebel groups said the move by Oscar winner Spielberg could shame Beijing, a major investor in Sudan's oil industry and the East African country's largest supplier of weapons, into changing its stance on the region.

"This will send a message to other countries, other individuals and athletes, who haven't taken a strong stance on Darfur up to now," said spokesman for the insurgent Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Ahmed Hussein Adam.

"We are calling on all countries to boycott the Olympics, athletes as well."