Frenchman calls for boycott of Beijing Olympics

French presidential candidate Francois Bayrou has called for a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing to protest China's soft stance on Sudan in the face of continuing violence in Darfur. The International Herald Tribune reported that at a rally on Tuesday, Bayrou said, "This is a political issue because China decided to bring its protection to the Khartoum regime," and that France "would do itself credit" by abstaining from the Games. China, which opposes sanctions against Sudan, did not immediately respond to Bayrou's remarks. The presidential campaign in France has seen candidates vie for the toughest position on the crisis in Darfur, which many have called genocide. Last month president Hu Jintao was in Sudan asking the government to allow a greater UN role in the country, to no avail. China is Sudan's top foreign investor, buying two thirds of the African country's oil exports. Read more in the Editors' Blog.