White House opposes ban on Bush presence at opening ceremony

A bill introduced in the US House of Representatives on 1 April that would ban President George Bush from attending the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, was “not the best way” to respond to the situation in Tibet, a White House spokesperson, Katherine Starr, said yesterday. “We share concerns on Tibet and other issues, but efforts to prohibit US attendance at this international sporting event are not the best way to address them,” she said, pointing out that the US athletes participating in the games would “represent the best of this country.”