10 December 2010 Last updated at 04:39 ET

Nobel peace prize: Who is boycotting the ceremony?

Liu Xiaobo was jailed for 11 years in December 2009

This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese political activist Liu Xiaobo. The move angered Beijing, which warned of "consequences" for governments attending the ceremony. The BBC's Paul Reynolds looks at which countries are not going, and why.

There are two major reasons why countries have decided to boycott Friday's Nobel ceremonies: first, that the prize went to a dissident and second, that the Chinese government has objected. This has opened the way for governments that are not sympathetic to dissidents to object and boycott the ceremony. The second reason - the threat from China of the "consequences" of attending - is significant because China is reaching out across the world with economic muscle.

At least 45 of the 65 embassies that have been invited have accepted the invitation, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee has said. But a total of 17 countries, plus China, have said they will not be going: Russia, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Egypt, Sudan, Cuba and Morocco. Their reasons are outlined below. Serbia had originally opted to boycott the ceremony but changed its mind and will now send its ombudsman.

Country	What they said	Analysis
China	"As far as I know, at present, more than 100 countries and organisations have expressed explicit support for China opposing the Nobel Peace Prize, which fully shows that the international community does not accept the decision of the Nobel Committee," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu (pictured) said.	China has denounced Liu's award as an "obscenity" and has pressured diplomats to boycott the ceremony. In early November, China warned that there would be "consequences" if governments showed support for Liu at the award ceremony. The Chinese government apparently returned their own invitation unopened.
Cuba	Fidel Castro recently wrote: "Let's hope to God this is just one of those ideological strikes that this once-prestigious honour has delivered over its long history, and not a new rule".	The dissident factor looms large here. By "ideological strikes", Mr Castro means the committee is making a political point, to which he objects.
Kazakhstan	The foreign ministry says the country's ambassador in Oslo is too busy to attend.	China is one of the main investors in oil-rich Kazakhstan. The two countries share a border, and Kazakhstan is a long-time supporter of China's foreign policy. The Kazakh government is itself often criticised by rights groups for jailing activists.
Russia	In early November, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Oslo said the ambassador would not be in Norway at the time of the award ceremony. "It is not politically motivated and we do not feel we are pressured by China," he told AP news agency.	Russia does not need to cosy up to China and is large enough to take its own decisions. But the dissident factor is important here as well. Russia is in an authoritarian mode, although it argues that it is simply re-imposing the discipline that was lost in the immediate post-Cold War period.
Venezuela	Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez was highly critical of his own country's opposition media for their coverage of the Nobel Peace Prize. "This [Liu] is like Obama, the other peace prize," Mr Chavez said, adding: "Viva China! And its sovereignty, its independence and its greatness".	Venezuela has supported the Cuban position on the award.
Pakistan	No official reason made public.	Pakistan's government would be eager to be seen as among the first standing with China, says the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan. The country enjoys great popularity among the general public and the ruling elite. The countries have strong economic and defence ties, and Pakistan sees China as its most important and resolute ally. It may also want to be seen not to be taking a soft line on political dissent - something Pakistan currently has a lot of.
Iraq	No official reason made public.	This is the China factor. Here, it is oil that is the key. China is an active investor in Iraqi oilfields and Iraq needs the income that produces.
Morocco	No official reason made public.	The dissident factor is key here. Morocco does not have vital economic ties to China, but it does have concerns over the principle that dissidents be awarded the Peace Prize. In particular, Morocco might be worried about Aminatu Haidar, a campaigner for the independence of the Western Sahara which Morocco controls. Ms Haidar has served time in prison in Morocco for her activities.
Afghanistan	No official reason made public.	The government's boycott has to do with its need not to upset China which is a source of aid and development assistance.
Iran	No official reason made public.	Iran has important contracts with China for the development of its oil and gas and depends on China to block tighter sanctions against it in the Security Council over its nuclear activities.
Vietnam	No official reason made public.	Vietnam's leadership has always been reluctant to welcome prizes given to dissidents and human rights activists, but welcomed the award to Nelson Mandela, says the head of the BBC's Vietnamese service, Giang Nguyen. The only Vietnamese given the prize was communist leader Le Duc Tho in 1973 (jointly with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger) for the Paris agreement intended to bring about a cease-fire in the Vietnam war and the withdrawal of US forces. Le Duc Tho rejected the prize as there was no peace agreement at the time.
Tunisia	No official reason made public.	The country does not approve of a dissident being awarded the prize.
Saudi Arabia	No official reason made public.	Both factors apply for Saudi Arabia - China is also now a major trading partner.
Egypt	No official reason made public.	The dissident factor is important for a government that still cracks down on the opposition.
Sudan	No official reason made public.	Sudan has strong economic ties with China. The countries buys much of Sudan's oil.
Sri Lanka	Bandula Jayasekara of the Sri Lanka foreign ministry, told the BBC Sinhala service: "The Sri Lankan ambassador in Oslo will not accept the invitation to attend the ceremony."	The China factor is at work here. Sri Lanka has growing ties with China, which is investing heavily in the country's economy. China also gave political support to the Sri Lanka government in the conflict with the Tamil Tigers and sold it weapons.
Algeria	No official reason made public.	Algeria and China have an increasingly close economic relationship. The two countries agreed a strategic partnership in 2008 and China has contracts for building roads and exploring for energy in Algeria. There is even a Beijing Avenue in Algiers.