Washington: US President George W Bush may attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics on August 8 despite calls for him to boycott the gala over Tibet and human rights, the White House said today.

"I'm not able to announce the president s schedule. But he is going to the Olympics. And I expect that the opening ceremonies could be a part of that trip," spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Leaving little doubt that he will attend, Perino had initially said Bush "certainly is going to be going to China, and I would certainly think that the opening ceremonies will be a part of that trip" before correcting herself.

A firm announcement on his plans could come as early as today, but may also be made when Bush meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao July 9 on the sidelines of a rich nation summit in Japan, US officials said.

The US president has said for months that he is eager to attend the Olympics to support US athletes and did not want to use the competition to make a political statement despite activist calls for him to boycott the event.

Those appeals intensified amid charges that Chinese authorities violently repressed political unrest in Tibet in mid-March.

Perino said Bush was "pleased" that Beijing was holding talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, but stressed that his attendance at the opening ceremonies did not depend on the outcome.

"That's what the president has said before, which is he believes he s going to China to support, first and foremost, our athletes. He sees this as sporting competition," she said.

Source : PTI