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Page last updated at 08:12 GMT, Saturday, 12 April 2008 09:12 UK
China defends Tibetan crackdown
Chinese President Hu Jintao (r) with Australian PM Kevin Rudd
Mr Hu spoke during a visit by Australian PM Kevin Rudd

Chinese President Hu Jintao has defended China's crackdown in Tibet and said it was entirely an internal issue about 
defending China's unity.

Mr Hu said last month's crackdown was a result of "conflict" with supporters of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the 
Dalai Lama.

The comments follow protests against the Olympic torch relay by activists 
critical of China's crackdown.

The latest relay leg, in Buenos Aires, passed off without interruption.

"Our conflict with the Dalai clique is not an ethnic problem, not a religious problem, nor a human rights problem," Mr 
Hu was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency. "It is a problem either to safeguard national unification or 
to split the motherland," Mr Hu told visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

        
Zhang Hao from China carries the Olympic flame in Buenos Aires 11 April
The torch procession was held amid tight security

The Olympic torch relay

It was the first time Mr Hu has commented on last month's unrest in Tibet, when Tibetan exile groups say Chinese 
security forces killed dozens of protesters.

Beijing says about 19 people were killed in rioting.

Mr Hu repeated China's position that it was ready to meet the Dalai Lama, but only if he met certain pre-conditions, 
such as desisting from trying to "split the motherland", "incite violence" and "ruin the Beijing Olympics".

Map of planned world torch relay route

The Dalai Lama has denied accusations by Chinese officials that he orchestrated last month's violent protests in Tibet 
and Tibetan areas of China to discredit the country before the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

Speaking on US television during a visit to Seattle, the Dalai Lama reiterated his opposition to a boycott of the 
Olympics, but said China's record on human rights and freedom was "poor".

He said his message to China was: "We are not against you. And I'm not seeking 
separation."

Minor scuffles

On Friday, Argentine athletes carried the Olympic torch through the streets of Buenos Aires amid high security after 
protesters in London and Paris tried to obstruct the flame's progress, grab it or even put it out.

        
Chinese supporters cheer the Olympic torch in Buenos Aires

In pictures: Argentine torch relay
Chinese reaction to protests
'Houdini torch' relay disappoints

Both anti-China protesters and supporters of the Beijing Games turned out, but only minor scuffles were reported and the 
torch was not impeded.

The only apparent attempt to derail the relay were a few water balloons 
thrown at the torch, easily deflected by guards.

One activist unfurled a giant banner on the torch route reading "Free Tibet".

And members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is banned in China, lit their own "human rights torch" and 
marched along the route the flame was to take.

Police separated the few dozen pro-Tibet demonstrators from a similar-sized group of pro-China supporters, who waved the 
Chinese flag and sang the national anthem.

'Crisis'

The International Olympic Committee has been forced to consider the future of the torch relay after the protests marred 
the sporting celebration it had been intended to be.

Zhang Hao from China carries the Olympic flame in Buenos Aires 11 April
The torch procession was held amid tight security

The head of the IOC, Jacques Rogge, even spoke of a "crisis".

But he said neither the athletes nor the public wanted a boycott of the Olympics and said it was "sad" that the torch 
relay had been disrupted by protests.

"The torch does not belong to Beijing or China. It is the torch of humanity," 
he told the BBC.

He also praised "excellent" preparations for the Olympics and said he was "optimistic the Games will be a great 
success". He said the IOC had no right to tell China how to deal with sovereign issues like Tibet and human rights.

On Thursday Beijing had rebuked him for urging China to respect its "moral 
engagement" to improve human rights.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Beijing says China had been hoping for an impressive roll call of world leaders at the 
opening ceremony on 8 August for "the greatest show on earth".

But UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have said they will not go, French President 
Nicolas Sarkozy is undecided and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he may not make it.

US President George W Bush is under pressure from White House hopefuls John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama not 
to attend.

After Buenos Aires, the torch's next stop is Tanzania.

OLYMPIC TORCH ROUTE
Map
Torch lit in Olympia on 24 March and taken on five-day relay around Greece to 
Athens
After handover ceremony, taken to Beijing on 31 March to begin a journey of 
136,800 km (85,000 miles) around the world
Torch arrives in Macau on 3 May. After three-month relay all around China, it arrives in Beijing for opening ceremony on 
8 August

See detailed route on Beijing 2008 official site

Jacques Rogge on the IOC's 'ethical values'

BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES
KEY STORIES
Olympics to 'rebound from crisis'
China stands firm on Tibet relay
Protests cut short Olympic relay
Rogge admits Beijing air concern
FEATURES AND ANALYSIS
People dressed as giant pandas await torch 'Houdini' relay
The San Francisco torch route disappoints crowds but avoids protests
Tracksuited torch guardians
History of Olympics protests
Key Olympic flame facts
Ping-pong diplomacy with the US
SPORT
Olympic venues in photos
Latest Team GB qualification
Beijing bulletin
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Jacques Rogge Olympic chief: No public boycott plans

Olympic torch relay in Argentina Torch passes peacefully through Argentina

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RELATED BBC LINKS
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RELATED INTERNET LINKS
International Olympic Committee
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FROM OTHER NEWS SITES
Channel NewsAsia IOC chiefs to end talks after week of protests - 8 hrs ago
KUSA-TV Olympic torch makes Latin American stop - 9 hrs ago
New Straits Times Olympic torch's Latin American leg passes off peacefully - 
10 hrs ago
The Scotsman Torch will go through Tibet, Rogge insists - 11 hrs ago
Times of India Argentina Olympic torch relay peaceful - 11 hrs ago

TOP ASIA-PACIFIC STORIES
China defends Tibetan crackdown