Bush says won't criticise China at Olympics

Bush said movie director Steven Spielberg's decision toquit his Beijing Olympics role because of China's policies inSudan was a personal decision.

"It's up to him. I am going to the Olympics, I view theOlympics as a sporting event," Bush said, speaking to BBC WorldNews America before flying to Africa.

He said in meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao "I doremind him that he can do more to relieve the suffering inDarfur."

"There are a lot of issues that I suspect people are goingto opine about during the Olympics -- the Dalai Lama crowd,you've got the Global Warming folks, you got Darfur.

"I am not going to go and use the Olympics as anopportunity to express my opinions to the Chinese people in apublic way because I do it all the time with the President."

Bush also defended what he called his "seminal decision"not to send U.S. troops to Darfur despite what he called thegenocide there.

His decision not intervene by force was taken partly out ofthe desire not to send U.S. troops into another Muslim country,he said.

"I was pretty well backed off of it by a lot of folks herein America who care deeply about the issue. Once you make thatdecision you have to rely upon an international organisationlike the United Nations to provide the oomph," he said.

"It is a decision I am now living with and it is a decisionthat requires us to continue to rally the conscience of theworld," he added.

International experts say some 200,000 people have died and2.5 million fled their homes in more than four years ofconflict since Darfur rebels took up arms against Sudan'sgovernment, prompting Khartoum to mobilise mainly Arabmilitias.

Spielberg said his conscience would not allow him tocontinue working as an artistic adviser to the August Games andhe pledged to spend his time and energy not on Olympicceremonies, but on trying to end the "unspeakable crimesagainst humanity" in Darfur.

On Monday, nine Nobel Peace Prize winners wrote a letter toChina asking it to uphold the Olympic ideals by pressuringSudan over Darfur.

China is accused by critics of shielding Khartoum in theface of international efforts to send peacekeepers to Darfur.It says the Games should not be politicised and any link madebetween Darfur and the Olympics is irresponsible and unfair.

(Reporting by Paul Majendie; Editing by Charles Dick)