Farrow, Spielberg Assail China on Darfur

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | The New York Times
February 12, 2008

Film director Steven Spielberg and actress Mia Farrow joined activists worldwide Tuesday in using the Olympics as a backdrop to address human rights concerns, urging Beijing to exert political leverage on Sudan's government to help end the crisis in Darfur.

Spielberg announced he would no longer act as an artistic adviser for the opening and closing ceremonies, saying he could not reconcile working on the Olympics while China and other nations were not doing enough to ease the suffering.

''Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more,'' Spielberg said in a statement. ''China's economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change.''

Farrow joined former Olympic swimmers Shannon Shakespeare and Nikki Dryden in delivering an open letter addressed to Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, condemning Beijing's support of the Sudanese government.

The letter was part of a ''Global Day of Action'' that focused on Darfur, where more than 200,000 have died and an estimated 2.5 million have been displaced since 2003.

''We are all aware of the tremendous potential for China to help bring an end to the conflict in Darfur,'' said the letter, signed by Nobel Peace Prize laureates, celebrities and 13 former Olympians.

Farrow suggested China use its influence to disarm the janjaweed, the government-backed Arab militia, demand the Khartoum regime halt bombings and ground attacks on civilians, and use its economic clout to force the government to ensure safety for U.N. peacekeepers.

China buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil exports. In turn, China sells weapons to the Sudanese government and has defended Khartoum in the U.N. Security Council.

''How can Beijing host the Olympic Games at home and underwrite genocide?'' said Farrow, a U.N. goodwill ambassador, shivering in freezing weather outside the Chinese Mission. ''Time is running out for the people of Darfur.''

>> Read complete news