Chinese premier Wen Jiabao visited Iceland today, but his arrival was not cause for celebration for everyone.
RÚV reports he arrived at Keflavík airport, along with an entourage of about 100, at noon today. He was greeted by Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, where press photos were taken.
The two then went to the Culture House, where high security kept Hverfisgata closed. Other Icelandic officials, including Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Össur Skarphéðinsson and Guðbjartur Hannesson, also attended. However, just across the street at Arnarhólt, members of Falun Gong in Iceland protested the arrival of the premier. As promised by the prime minister, these protesters were not arrested and locked up out of sight – which did happen to Falun Gong members who protested the arrival of Jiang Zemin 10 years ago.
While the foreign minister had promised that the subject of human rights would be discussed with Wen Jiabao, the issue was apparently never raised during the meeting. Rather, the focus was placed on business relationships between the two countries. In fact, six “willingness agreements” were signed between the two countries that day, all related to international trade.
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