Only Force means something to the WEST??????
Sarkozy writes to Paris torch tussle's Chinese athlete Jin Jing
Posted: 21 April 2008 1749 hrs
Chinese paralympic fencer Jin Jing
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SHANGHAI: French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent his personal sup****t on
Monday to a wheelchair-bound Chinese athlete who has become a symbol of
national outrage at protests over the Olympic torch relay.
In a letter delivered by the visiting French Senate president, Sarkozy
said
he condemned the attacks on Jin Jing, who was forced to ****eld the torch
from pro-Tibet protesters during the chaotic Paris leg of the relay.
It was given to Jin as China sought on Monday to dampen anti-French
sentiment triggered in part by that incident, and which flared up at the
weekend into a series of demonstrations in cities across the country.
"I was shocked to see what happened during the torch relay," French Senate
president Christian Poncelet said in Shanghai, quoting from Sarkozy's
letter.
"It is understandable that the Chinese people feel hurt. I hereby strongly
condemn what they did."
Jin, who is a fencer, was attacked when protesters repeatedly disrupted
the
April 7 relay, and had to fend off attempts to grab the flame.
Sarkozy invited her to France, saying those behind "this painful incident"
did not represent the feelings of friend****p between the nations.
The incident has turned Jin into a hero figure while the press in China
has
used it as symbol of the disruption that has marred the relay and angered
Chinese hoping for a successful Beijing Olympics in August.
Poncelet arrived here earlier for a visit during which he is also expected
to meet top Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao.
Over the weekend, thousands of protesters demonstrated outside many of the
French retail giant Carrefour's 122 branches nationwide. Shopping centres
in
the eastern cities of Qingdao and Hefei and central China's Wuhan were
forced to close down on Saturday.
Despite an impressive police presence, demonstrations continued on Sunday
with protesters chanting slogans and holding banners against Tibetan
independence, urging a boycott of Carrefour and railing against the news
network CNN, where a commentator last week made disparaging remarks about
China.
For the fourth straight day, the leading People's Daily carried on Monday
an
editorial urging Chinese to be "rational" in showing their "patriotism".
All major dailies also prominently ran a denial by Carrefour of its
alleged
sup****t for Tibetan independence.
"These rumours are groundless, Carrefour has never directly or indirectly
provided sup****t for political or religious activities," board chairman
Jose
Luis Duran was quoted as saying.
France said on Sunday it would send former prime minister Jean-Pierre
Raffarin to Beijing later this week on a previously scheduled trip.
Also expected in the Chinese capital was Sarkozy's top diplomatic adviser,
Jean-David Levitte, on a mission arranged after the protests broke out.
Carrefour stores, including in the hotspots of Wuhan, the northern city of
Xian and the eastern city of Dalian, said they were operating normally on
Monday and there were no signs of protests or boycotters.
China has become increasingly angry by protests over Tibet that have
marred
the Olympic torch relay in Paris, London and San Francisco.
Anti-China demonstrations have grown internationally since Beijing started
quelling unrest in Tibet last month, when peaceful protests turned into
riots and spread through neighbouring Tibetan-populated areas.
Despite the calls for calm, state press on Monday accused the exiled
Tibetan
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama of trying to sabotage the Beijing Olympics
by fomenting unrest in his Himalayan homeland.
Exiled Tibetan leaders say more than 150 people have died in the
government
crackdown on unrest. China says Tibetan "rioters" killed 18 civilians and
two policemen.
Comments this month by Sarkozy that he might boycott the August 8 Olympics
opening ceremony unless China opens a dialogue with the Dalai Lama have
also
appeared to fuel the action against Carrefour.
- AFP/so
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