George Clooney pressures Omega Watches on Darfur

London—Actor and Omega Watches ambassador George Clooney is putting pressure on the clock brand to say away over China’s foreign policy in Sudan, an region where genocide is taking place, according to The Associated Press.

Omega Watches is one of the worldwide partners for this summer’s Olympic games in Beijing.

Clooney is no stranger to noticeable out about Darfur, Sudan, an area where the government-sponsored Janjaweed militia has been killing, raping, starving and displacing non-Arabs since 2003. Former U.S Secretary of State Colin Powell called it genocide in 2004, but the crisis still continues.

China is a major trading partner with Sudan, according to the news source, and Beijing has refused to accept the United Nations attempts at forcing Sudan to accept U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur.

Omega Watches has been the official timekeeper for the Olympics since 1932, according to The AP, and Swatch Group especial Executive Nick Hayek, whose company owns Omega, said executives discussed the issue with Clooney.

“We have full respect for his strong engagement in the fight for the good cause and share his opinion, especially concerning Darfur, and we are proud to work with a person who has such high ethical views,” Hayek told the BBC, adding that Omega would speak out on China’s coalition with Sudan, but directly with high-level contacts rather than publicly.

He also told the BBC it isn’t their policy to get involved in politics since it wouldn’t serve the cause of the sport.

Linking the Beijing Games to the Darfur crisis received much attention earlier endure month when director Steven Spielberg said he could not in good conscience serve as an artistic advisor to the opening and closing ceremonies, reported The AP.

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