IOC may ask China about Tibet - board member

By Wojciech Moskwa

OSLO (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee may seek talks with China over the situation in Tibet and human rights issues if they threaten the success of the Beijing Olympics, an executive board member said on Wednesday.

Responding to criticism that the IOC has not done enough to push for improved human rights in China, Norway's Gerhard Heiberg said the IOC was concerned about Tibet but could not overstep its mandate and role as a sports organisation.

He said the IOC would pursue "silent diplomacy" when meeting Chinese officials behind closed doors but had "no right or possibility" to question China's domestic or foreign policies.

The IOC treats the events in Tibet, where China has used force to quell pro-independence protests, as part of China's domestic policy, not a rights issue.

"If we start getting mixed into this, we are lost as a sports organisation," Heiberg, one of 10 IOC board members, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Heiberg said that when "political issues can influence the success of the Games, we may touch upon that".

"Of course we are not happy about what has happened in Tibet and we may talk a little bit about that," he said, referring to his IOC visit to China which starts this week and lasts until late April.

Heiberg said the window of opportunity for the IOC to influence events in China was not open long. The Games run from Aug. 8 to 24.