By Hilary Dyer

Congressman Mike Capuano, D-Somerville, filed a resolution requesting that President George W. Bush boycott the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on the grounds of China’s inaction against the Sudanese government’s genocide in Darfur.

China is Sudan’s leading partner in trade, and enforces no trade sanctions on the nation. According to the non-profit organization, Human Rights Watch, China is the primary supplier of weapons and arms to Sudan. In turn, Sudan exports between 60 and 70 percent of its oil production to China.

The genocide in Darfur has killed nearly a half million people at the hands of the Sudanese government.

“Instead of denouncing these atrocities, China continues its relationship with Sudan, effectively turning a blind eye to the suffering and death,” Capuano said in a statement. “In short, China is openly supporting a government that is openly engaging in genocide.”

China’s unwillingness to act as an advocate for human rights in Darfur by using its economic leverage with Sudan has the international community crying out for a boycott of the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Save Darfur, a non-profit organization campaigning in the United States, has cited the severance of open trading between China and Sudan as crucial to ending the violence in the region. Save Darfur has also initiated a campaign urging China’s President Hu to ‚Äúbring the Olympic dream to Darfur‚Äù by imposing sanctions on the Sudanese government.

The resolution filed by Capuano requests that President Bush boycott the Opening Ceremony unless the following conditions are met: China persuades Sudan to end the attacks in Darfur and allows for full deployment of peace-keeping forces, and China begins to halt arms sales to Sudan.

‚ÄúAlthough President Bush and I don’t agree on much, his words have been on target when it comes to Sudan, including an acknowledgement that genocide is occurring. I hope he will do the right thing and decline to attend the Opening Ceremony in Beijing. This will send a message to China and the world that we must take every opportunity to speak out against human suffering,‚Äù said Capuano.

Capuano is now serving his fifth term representing Massachusetts Eighth District. He is calling on the United States and the international community to end the genocide in Darfur. He has traveled to the region, met with United Nations diplomats and is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the bi-partisan Congressional Sudan Caucus.