ZIMBABWE'S President, Robert Mugabe, has been forced to return home following intense political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party not to attend Friday night's opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
The Herald understands high-powered lobbying from political leaders who will be attending the ceremony prompted the highest levels of the Chinese Government to convince him not to attend. It is understood he had arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday but could get no further.
The two countries have a close relationship and it took intense persuasion to convince Mr Mugabe to return to Zimbabwe and not cause embarrassment to the host country.
A Mugabe spokesman, George Charamba, wrote in a Zimbabwean newspaper: "President Mugabe attaches great importance to the ongoing talks [between the Government and Opposition], which is why he is not going to China for the grand opening of the Olympics."
The US President, George Bush, and the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will be among heads of state attending the opening ceremony. The pro-Tibet supporter and Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans will respect the Olympic rules and not protest at Games venues, says the Australian Olympic Committee president, John Coates.