Musharraf Will, Won't, Will Attend Olympic Kick-Off

He flip-flops on trip amid impeachment talk
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 6, 2008 1:08 PM CDT
Musharraf Will, Won't, Will Attend Olympic Kick-Off
Supporters of deposed Pakistani judges burn an effigy of President Pervez Musharraf in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, June 9, 2008.    (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)

Pervez Musharraf will be in Beijing tomorrow for the Olympics' opening ceremony, the foreign ministry said today, reversing an earlier announcement that he had canceled the trip. The president is battling possible impeachment at home, the BBC reports, and opposition leaders met yesterday, reportedly to discuss an ouster. The cancellation was seen as a drastic move, as China is one of Pakistan's closest alies.

"In view of our special relations with China, the president has decided to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics,” said a spokesman. Local media report that  two main opposition parties say they will pursue impeachment, according to the Guardian.  But they have failed to follow through on such a threat in the past.
(More Pakistan stories.)

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