Dalai Lama barred to avoid upsetting China: SA

The South African government has admitted it decided to bar the Dalai Lama from attending a peace conference with Nobel peace laureates to avoid undermining relations with China.

A cabinet statement released late Wednesday said that while South Africa had not acted on a specific demand from Beijing, it was not prepared to "jeopardise" ties nor allow itself to be used as a political platform in the run-up to the hosting of next year's football World Cup.

"A choice was made in this particular case that our interests will be better served if we give priority to making sure that we don't jeopardise our bilateral relations with China in this particular case," government spokesman Themba Maseko said in the statement.

"The government position is that we do not want the sporting events in this country, particularly 2010 (World Cup) to be used as a platform to advance the various different causes around the world, because that diverts attention from the sporting events themselves," he added.

The peace conference was due to be held Friday but was scrapped as Nobel laureates former president FW de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu pulled out in protest against the government decision.

The meeting was to be held to discuss using football to fight racism as the country gears up for the 2010 World Cup.

The cabinet statement also slammed Health Minister Barbara Hogan who has called on the government to apologise for the decision, saying there would be consequences and it was "unfortunate that the minister chose to go to a public platform to attack a decision of government".

Maseko said Hogan's fate rests with President Kgalema Motlanthe. The popular minister has been in office for just over six months after replacing Manto Tshabalala-Msimang who was often pilloried for her controversial AIDS views.

Hogan said Wednesday that the decision showed that the government was "dismissive of human rights".

The fallout over the saga has led to mounting criticism of South Africa, whose ruling African National Congress (ANC) received massive global support during the fight against white-minority apartheid rule.

It has previously attracted sharp criticism for its reluctance to speak out regimes such as the military junta in Myanmar and neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Hogan received support Thursday from one of the most senior members of the judiciary when constitutional court judge Kate O'Reagan said she was dismayed by the government's stance.

"It is a matter of dismay that human rights does not seem to enter into the picture of some foreign affairs decisions that are made," she told SABC public radio.

The government was also facing flak from the press.

Writing in the Cape Times, the analyst Judith February said that while it would be naive to deny China's influence across Africa, this power should not dictate foreign policy.

"China has become known as the 'new coloniser of Africa' and a major force, unleashed and ready to trade with anyone and everyone. But can China's power mean it should dictate foreing policy? Surely not," she wrote.

The rising global economic power of China has seen it increasing its presence in Africa with billions in aid and support. The country's economic relationships with states seen as human rights abusers have been much criticised.

China has been stepping up a global offensive to isolate the Dalai Lama, who fled to India 50 years ago this month as Beijing crushed an abortive uprising in Tibet.