By IRNA
Berlin : The German government here Monday dismissed calls for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics following China’s security crackdown in Tibet.
Talking to journalists in Berlin, deputy government spokesperson Thomas Steg stressed that such a boycott would only hurt all the athletes who are preparing for the summer Olympic games and would “not change the situation of Tibetans.”
While the German government backs Tibetan demands for cultural and religious autonomy, it also supports the territorial integrity of China as laid out in its one-China policy, added Steg.
The German official made clear that an isolation of China would lead to nothing.
Steg urged a “peaceful and political dialogue aimed at finding a sustainable solution” to the Tibetan crisis.
On Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over the violence in Tibet, urging restraint by Chinese security forces and Tibetan demonstrators.
“It does not matter from which side violence comes, it will not lead to solutions to the outstanding issues,” Merkel was quoted saying on the official homepage of the German government.
Chinese authorities on Saturday deployed troops and tanks in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, demanding that Tibetan rioters surrender to police or face more serious punishment for the violence that claimed reportedly dozens of lives in the wake of the escalating
pro-independence protests.