Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg Thursday rejected that Norway was considering a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics or the games as such, according to dpa. Stoltenberg's remarks to Norwegian reporters on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Romania came after public broadcaster NRK earlier carried comments from leading politicians suggesting there was broad political consensus for a possible boycott. "The Norwegian government has not considered boycotting the Olympic Games," Soltenberg said. "We believe we can express our views on human rights by other means than a boycott." Earlier, Olemic Thommessen, cultural affairs spokesman for the opposition conservatives, said both the ruling red-green coalition and opposition agreed on a possible boycott. "An official abstention at the opening ceremony is a very likely scenario unless things change," Thommessen told NRK. Culture Minister Trond Giske, who earlier mulled a boycott over the recent Chinese crackdown in Tibet, said he also had doubts whether official Norwegian representatives should take part at the opening ceremony. "It would be a clear signal if we stay away, and threats from many countries to stay away might be something that makes the Chinese authorities react," Giske told NRK. On Wednesday, human rights watchdog Amnesty International presented a report about its concerns over continued human rights violations in China. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said he would raise the matter with Chinese authorities about arrests of regime critics. The acting head of the Norwegian branch of Amnesty International, Ina Tin, welcomed the politicians statements but said it was important to put pressure on China before the Olympic Games commence. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he will not attend the opening ceremony of the August 8-24 Games and EU foreign ministers also failed to rule out such a move last week.
