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Congresswoman Waters Condemns the President's Decision to Attend the Olympics in China

July 30, 2009

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) expressed her disappointment regarding President Bush's decision to attend the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.  Yesterday, President Bush announced that he had accepted an invitation from Chinese President Hu Jintao to attend the Olympics.

On August 4, Congresswoman Waters introduced H.Res. 628, a resolution to express the sense of Congress that the President should take action to boycott the Olympic Games in China, unless the Chinese government acknowledges and condemns the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan and ends its military and economic support for the government of Sudan.  The Bush Administration never responded to the Congresswoman's initiative.

The Congresswoman made the following statement:

"I am deeply disappointed by President Bush's decision to attend the Olympics in China, despite China's continuing support for the genocidal government of Sudan.  President Bush completely ignored my resolution urging a boycott of the China Olympics, and now he is proving once again that stopping the genocide in Darfur is not a priority for his Administration.

"China is the world's largest supplier of military arms and equipment to Sudan, and Sudan is using these military supplies to commit genocide in Darfur.  Almost a half million people have already been killed in Darfur, and yet China refuses to sever its ties with this genocidal regime.

"President Bush should have informed the Chinese leader that he would not participate in the Olympics as long as China continues to bankroll the genocidal policies of Sudan.  The spirit of the Olympics is not compatible with any actions directly or indirectly supporting genocide." 

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