Taiwan torch relay decision expected in April

BEIJING, Feb 28 (Reuters) The schedule of the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay and the controversial decision over whether it will pass through Taiwan will be known next month, a Chinese government official said today.

Beijing Olympic officials have consistently stated their desire for the self-governed island, which China considers a rebel province to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary, to be included in the relay.

''The question concerning whether the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay covers Taiwan or not will be answered in April when the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) unveils the relay map,'' Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a news conference.

The release of the relay schedule, which must be approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was initially expected last year and the problem over Taiwan's inclusion is a major factor in the delay.

Taiwan Olympic officials have insisted that the visit of the Olympic flame to the island is either preceded or followed by an international stop to show it is not part of the domestic circuit within the mainland.

Grand plans to match or even outdo the relay for the 2004 Athens Games, which took in 34 cities in 27 countries, have also been reassessed in the light of IOC advice, although a trip to the top of Mount Everest will definitely be included.

An IOC inspection team will be in Beijing in mid-April while the organisation's executive board meets in the Chinese capital later the same month.

REUTERS PDS PM1626