The Beijing Olympic organizing committee had sent Spielberg a recruitment letter, he had not signed it by the deadline of May 10 last year, said Liu, adding "theoretically he was not art director to the Beijing Olympic games."

"It was a great surprise for me that he should have resigned. There is no such question of resignation." Liu said.

Liu said that he met Spielberg in New York last year and they had an in-depth discussion on Darfur issue including China's stance on the issue.

"I told him at that time: Mr Spielberg, I know that you are no longer an art adviser to the Beijing Olympics but still I would like to discuss the question with you." said Liu, 61, a veteran diplomat, also a former ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, and has been engaged in African affairs for more than 25 years.

Spielberg announced on February 13 his decision to quit the upcoming Olympics as an artistic advisor, citing concerns over the violence in Darfur, which he linked to the Chinese government.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge shrugged off the controversy caused by Spielberg's decision to withdraw as an artistic consultant to the Beijing Olympics, stressing that IOC is "a sporting, not a political association".

Asked to comment on Spielberg's decision, US President GeorgeW. Bush said that he would attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics as scheduled, adding that he had no reason to use the Olympics as a way to highlight political issues.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2008)