Bush says he won't boycott Olympics

TOYAKO, Japan, July 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush says he's sticking with his decision to attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, despite human rights concerns.

Bush, attending the Group of Eight summit Sunday in Japan, said to boycott the opening ceremonies "would be an affront to the Chinese people, which would make it more difficult to be able to speak more frankly with the Chinese leadership," CNN reported.

Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda held a news conference Sunday shortly after the U.S. delegation arrived in Toyako, Japan, ahead of Monday's G8 conference.

Fukuda told reporters that he, too, would attend the opening ceremonies, even though some world leaders, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will boycott because of human rights concerns in Tibet and elsewhere.

Also at the news conference, Bush assured his Japanese hosts that he's "fully aware" of their concerns about past kidnappings of Japanese citizens by North Korea, saying, "the United States will not abandon you on this issue."