World leaders who have announced plans to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics to protest Beijing’s policies in Tibet are engaged in a “cop out” that actually diminishes pressure on China, President Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said in an interview.

“I think this issue is in some sense a bit of a red herring,” Mr. Hadley told “Fox News Sunday.” “I think, unfortunately, a lot of countries say, ‘Well, if we say that we are not going to the opening ceremonies, we’ve checked the box on Tibet.’ That’s a cop out.”

So far, Prime Minister Tusk of Poland and President Klaus of the Czech Republic have said they plan to skip the opening ceremonies because of human rights concerns. Prime Minister Brown of England and Chancellor Merkel of Germany have also announced plans to skip the festivities, but denied sending any message by doing so.

Mr. Hadley said the Bush administration is using “quiet diplomacy” to push for an end to the recent violence in Tibet, which Chinese officials say has left 22 people dead, while Tibetan exiles say the number is as many as 150.

“It is very important to deal with the Tibet issue, but we think the best way to do that is through the kind of diplomacy we have been undertaking, not by the kind of frontal confrontation that is being suggested by some,” Mr. Hadley said.