Peace conference in S. Africa canceled
Denial of visa to Dalai Lama is called blunder
JOHANNESBURG - Organizers of a peace conference meant to showcase the role of sports in promoting unity canceled the forum yesterday, citing the South African government's decision to block the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, from attending.
South Africa's denial of a visa to the Dalai Lama prompted a quick exodus of several star members of the conference's lineup, who accused the government of succumbing to pressure from China, a major trade partner. The government's decision drew widespread condemnation, with critics portraying it as a major blunder ahead of the nation's hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup and an erosion of South Africa's reputation as a beacon of freedom and human rights.
"The conveners have therefore decided, in the spirit of peace, to postpone the South Africa peace conference to ensure it is held under conducive conditions," Irvin Khoza, chairman of South Africa's World Cup organizing committee, the conference sponsor, told reporters at a news conference that was originally intended to publicize the event's final schedule. It was to begin Friday.
Two of three South African Nobel peace laureates who had invited the Tibetan leader, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former president F.W. de Klerk, said Monday that they would boycott the event, and organizers said the third, former president Nelson Mandela, would probably do the same. The Norwegian Nobel Committee also backed out.
A spokesman for South African President Kgalema Motlanthe played down the controversy, saying the government had not been bullied by China but felt the Dalai Lama's presence would distract attention from next year's soccer tournament. Motlanthe would not welcome the Dalai Lama for any reason, "whether today or tomorrow," spokesman Thabo Masebe said.
"We would like to take full advantage of this in terms of promoting and marketing South Africa to the rest of the world," Masebe said in an interview. If the Dalai Lama came, he said, "the people would be talking about Tibet, talking about China and so on. That would be a diversion."
If South Africa's intent was to avoid a firestorm, it greatly backfired. On Tuesday, the topic dominated talk radio and newspapers, which were emblazoned with headlines such as "SA sells its soul to China." Some critics said the visa decision, like South Africa's gentle approach to autocratic Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was more evidence the government that toppled apartheid was abandoning its values.
"This rejection by the government, to not issue a visa, is really tainting our efforts at democracy. It's a sad day for South Africa. It's a sad day for Africa," said conference organizer Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela. "Where are we heading in the future?"
A spokeswoman for the Chinese Embassy in the capital of Pretoria declined to comment on whether China, which regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist, had urged South Africa to turn him away.
"All countries which have diplomatic relations with China, including South Africa, recognize that there is only one China in the world and do not recognize the so-called independence of Tibet," spokeswoman Du Ling said, reading a statement. "We fully respect the position upheld by the South African government."
