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China pressuring European envoys over
Nobel event
AP, OSLO
China is pressuring European governments to avoid the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
for imprisoned democracy activist Liu Xiaobo (¼B¾åªi) and not to make any
statements in support of him, several diplomats said yesterday.
The Chinese embassy in Oslo has sent official letters to a number of European
embassies in the Norwegian capital asking them not to attend the Dec. 10
ceremony, two Western diplomats said.
Finland¡¦s foreign ministry confirmed its embassy in Oslo had received such a
letter, but officials could not immediately provide details.
According to one of the diplomats who said he has seen the letter, China cited
its repeated position that Liu is a criminal for his advocacy of widespread
political reforms and called the prize an interference in China¡¦s internal
affairs.
The letter also urged embassies not to issue any public statements in support of
Liu on the day of the ceremony, he said.
Liu, a writer and outspoken government critic, is serving an 11-year prison term
for inciting subversion with Charter ¡¥08, a bold call for sweeping political
reforms that he co-authored. His wife has been under house arrest since the
award was announced last month.
Numerous world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, as well as
international rights groups have called for Liu¡¦s release. That has enraged
China, which has been waging a campaign through state media to criticize both
Liu and the prize.
In Beijing in the last couple of weeks, diplomats from several countries have
been called into meetings with Chinese officials, who made similar requests to
the letters issued to the embassies in Oslo, the first Western diplomat said.
¡§They have been quietly getting in touch, inviting people to small meetings and
passing the message that way,¡¨ the envoy said.
A second Western diplomat confirmed the letter.
Another diplomat from a European country said his country had not been asked to
avoid the event, but he was aware of several other nations that had been
approached.
¡§There is pressure on this,¡¨ he said.
All three diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity
of the subject.
Geir Lundestad, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, declined to comment
on the letter, but said it¡¦s up to the ambassadors to decide whether to attend
the ceremony at Oslo¡¦s City Hall.
He said more than 1,000 invitations had been sent out, including to all
ambassadors to Norway. Even the Chinese ambassador received an invitation, but
returned it without answering, Lundestad said.
¡§All mail we have sent to the Chinese embassy in Oslo has been returned
unopened,¡¨ he said.
It¡¦s unclear who will accept the prize on Liu¡¦s behalf, but ¡§people close to the
laureate¡¨ have conveyed his wish that a children¡¦s choir perform at the
ceremony, Lundestad said.
Arrangements were being made for that, he added.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei (¬x½U) refused to confirm or deny that
China had sent the letters.
¡§Our opposition to the awarding of the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo is clear. We
oppose anyone making an issue out of this,¡¨ Hong told a regularly scheduled news
conference.
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