A senior U.N. official has said that the scheduled torch relay is about the Olympics and not about Chinese politics.

Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, U.N. Under Secretary-General and executive director of the Nairobi-based United Nations Human Settlement Program, made the remarks after Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai on Friday pulled out of the Dar es Salaam section of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay.

Both Tibaijuka and Maathai are among 80 torchbearers selected to join the torch relay to be held here Sunday.

Tibaijuka said that being a torchbearer is a great opportunity not only for her but also for what she represents.

"It is an honor for parents, mothers and indeed African women." the Tanzanian said, "Tanzanians are peace-loving people and they are eagerly waiting for such a beautiful symbol of peace." she added.

Dar es Salaam City Mayor Adam Kimbisa told Xinhua that nothing would stop the scheduled Olympic Torch Relay which comes to East Africa for the first time.

In a written statement issued on Friday, Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Award winner, explained she was troubled that the Olympics were dividing instead of unifying people.

(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2008)