More countries and foreign media on Monday commented on the recent riots in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, voicing opposition to attempts to politicize the Beijing Olympic Games through the Tibet issue.

In a statement published on its website, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tibet is an integral part of China and Russia hoped that China would take all the necessary measures to end illegal actions and secure an early return to normalcy in the autonomous region.

"Attempts to politicize the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in China are unacceptable," the statement said.

European Union sports ministers and Olympic committees strongly opposed a boycott of the Beijing Olympics over the Tibet issue.

Slovene Sports Minister Milan Zver, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said that sport is an instrument for intercultural dialogue.

Togay Bayatli, a member of the European Olympic Committees, said it is the athletes who lose out in boycotts.

"Tibet is an inalienable part of China's territory. Tibet issues are, totally, internal affairs of China," Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said.

He noted that the Pakistani government is firmly opposed to any attempt to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

Malaysia's Nanyang Siang Pau newspaper said the separatists in Tibet attempted to instigate the riots in Lhasa to politicize the Beijing Olympics.

As for the issue of Tibet and the Dalai clique, the stance of the Chinese government has always been firm and clear: The Dalai Lama is not purely a religious figure, but rather, a political figure in exile, who has engaged in separatist activities for a long time, the newspaper said.

Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka said the unrest in Tibet will not affect the planned visit to Japan by President Hu Jintao this spring.

Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins said Tibet is part of China's territory and the recent riot in Lhasa undermined social stability in the country.

In a statement, the Council for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification in New Zealand lashed out against the violence involving beatings, destruction of property, lootings and arson in Lhasa.

It said Tibet is an inalienable part of China's territory, and it is absolutely impossible for the Dalai clique to separate Tibet from China.

(Xinhua News Agency via China Daily, March 20, 2008)