BEIJING - CURRENT unrest in Tibet will not affect plans to take the Olympic torch in a few weeks time through the remote mountainous region on its way to Beijing, a spokesman for the Games organisers said on Saturday.

Asked whether he thought the unrest would affect the torch relay, Sun Weide, spokesman for the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) said: 'I don't think so, no.

'The preparations for the torch relay in Tibet and taking the flame up Mount Qomolangma have been progressing smoothly,' he added, referring to the Chinese name for Mount Everest.

'Hosting the Olympic Games is a century-old dream for the Chinese people,' he added. 'The whole Chinese people, including our compatriots in Tibet, are very much looking forward to the Beijing Olympic Games.'

China has been buffeted ahead of the Games by worries over dirty air and international protests over human rights, Tibet, Sudan's Darfur and other controversies that often irk Chinese diplomats.

Hollywood actor and Tibetan activist Richard Gere said on Friday that China should suffer a boycott of the Beijing Olympics if it mishandles protests in Tibet, where authorities have admitted 10 people have burnt to death in riots.

Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told critics to back off, accusing them of violating the Olympic Games charter keeping politics away from sports.

Asked whether human rights issues changed Washington's view of China hosting the Olympic, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States saw the Games as a sporting event.

'We believe, and have urged China both in public and in private to use the opportunity to put China's best face forward to the international community, not only during but in the run-up and after the Olympics,' Mr McCormack said on Friday.

Critics vow torch protests
China has ruled the Himalayan region with an iron fist since its troops marched in in 1950.

The government says it has poured billions of dollars into developing Tibet and that the living standards of Tibetans have improved markedly under the Communist Party's leadership.

But exiles and rights groups condemn Beijing for suppressing the religion, culture and language of the Tibetans, and have accused China of widespread human rights abuses.

Tibet activists have already said they plan to dog the Olympic torch relay around the globe with protests, along with other groups such as those which blame China for not exerting enough pressure on Sudan to bring peace to Darfur.

The torch relay for the Beijing Olympics, which starts when it is lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on March 24, will visit Tibet twice.

When the flame arrives in Beijing on March 31 before embarking on its journey around the world, a second torch will be lit from it and taken to Tibet, where Chinese climbers will attempt to take it to the top of Mount Everest.

The attempt will take place in early May whenever the weather conditions on the world's tallest mountain are most suitable.

Tibet also forms part of the domestic leg of the relay, taking in Shannan Diqu on June 19 and Lhasa on the following two days. -- REUTERS