Mugabe barred from Olympics as the Chinese bow to pressure

Robert Mugabe will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Friday after China told him he was not welcome.

The Zimbabwean president was planning to defy his critics by joining leaders such as U.S. President George Bush and French President Nicholas Sarkozy at the Games.

But the Chinese authorities are said to have bowed to intense international pressure and Mugabe has agreed not to attend.

The Chinese decision is seen as a clear indication that Beijing wants nothing to overshadow the ceremony.

But it will cause immense concern among Chinese leaders because China has been one of Mugabe's strongest allies, supplying arms and financial support to the beleaguered leader.

Yesterday, Mugabe's spokesman confirmed he would not be at the Games but insisted it was because of on-going talks with his political rival Morgan Tsvangirai.

"President Mugabe attaches great importance to the talks which is why he is not going to the grand opening of the Games," he said.

Ironically, a demand by the Chinese that Zimbabwe "behave" in the run-up to the Olympics was behind the surprise decision to hold open talks with Mr Tsvangirai - the first time the two men have met in a decade.

Beijing put pressure on Mugabe to begin talks because of fears the crisis in Zimbabwe would overshadow the Olympics.

The decision to talk Mugabe out of attending the ceremony came after China and Russia had infuriated the West by blocking a United Nations Security Council attempt to impose sanctions on members of the regime.

Mugabe attracted outrage earlier this year when he circumvented a EU travel ban to attend a UN food summit in Rome imposed after he was accused on stealing the March presidential election from Mr Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change party.

A spokesman for the Zimbabwe Embassy in Beijing have denied Mugabe had been persuaded not to attend stressing he was putting the talks with Mr Tsvangirai at the top of his agenda.

There has been no official comment from the Chinese or the International Olympic committee yet, but an official was quoted in Australian newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald as saying "high powered political lobbying" had led to the decision.