Musharraf slams Western meddling
By Jiao Xiaoyang and Zhang Haizhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-14 06:37
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf yesterday condemned attempts to undermine the Beijing Olympics and opposed the West's "superimposition" of democratic values and human rights on China.
"We are extremely glad that preparations for the Olympic Games are so outstanding," Musharraf told China Daily at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
"We condemn any attempt by anyone to undermine the process of Olympic preparations, especially the Olympic torch (relay)," he said.
Musharraf, who has on several recent occasions promised to ensure the torch relay in Islamabad is a success, yesterday lamented attempts by some Western politicians and media to politicize the Olympics by smearing China's Tibet policy and human rights situation.
"First of all, we consider Tibet an inalienable part of China," he said. "If at all anyone is harboring or abetting the separatists, we condemn that.
"You cannot superimpose the human rights and democracy environment of a Western country onto other countries," he said.
"That is the error that the West and the Western media makes. This does not work at all and this must stop."
He said in every country, human rights and democracy have to be tailored according to its own dynamics, which China is doing well.
"The basic responsibility of any government is the security of the nation, progress and development, welfare and well-being of its people. Obviously this is being achieved (in China)," Musharraf said.
"I think China is a typical example of development and progress, the welfare and well-being of its people," he said.
