French president to attend opening of Olympics

Enlarge Photo France's President Nicolas Sarkozy gestures as he delivers a speech in Les Angles, near Avignon,...

Wed, Jul 9 08:09 AM

TOYAKO, Japan (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, representing his own country and the European Union, his office said on Wednesday.

Human rights activists have called for world leaders to boycott the Olympics opening ceremony on Aug. 8 to protest China's record on civil rights.

Sarkozy met Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of a summit of world leaders in nothern Japan on Wednesday.

"The President of the Republic has confirmed to the Chinese president his intention of travelling to Beijing on Aug. 8 to take part in the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games," the French presidency's office said in a statement.

As well as France, Sarkozy would represent the EU because France holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc, the office said.

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