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Walesa, president of Poland from 1990 to 1995, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 for his bloodless opposition to Poland's communist regime,
"Of course we'd only represent him symbolically, during the actual ceremony. The medal and diploma, and the prize money that goes with it, will remain in Oslo waiting for Liu Xiaobo," he said.
However, the Nobel Committee later Monday declined the offer saying the award would remain in its custody until the "legitimate owner" can come and claim it, Norway's NTB news agency reported.
China's rulers were enraged by the decision to give the 2010 prize to Liu, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison last December on subversion charges after co-authoring a manifesto calling for political reform in China.
Walesa recalled that when he won the Nobel, he did not collect it in person at the annual award ceremony in the Norwegian capital Oslo in fear that Poland's communist rulers would bar him from returning home.
Instead, his wife Danuta represented him.
Walesa had been playing cat-and-mouse with Poland's regime, which had jailed him during a 1981 military crackdown on his Solidarity opposition movement and released him in 1982.
In 1989, talks between Solidarity and Warsaw's leadership led to an election deal that brought about the regime's peaceful demise and helped speed the end of communist rule in Europe.
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"Of course we'd only represent him symbolically, during the actual ceremony. The medal and diploma, and the prize money that goes with it, will remain in Oslo waiting for Liu Xiaobo," he said.
However, the Nobel Committee later Monday declined the offer saying the award would remain in its custody until the "legitimate owner" can come and claim it, Norway's NTB news agency reported.
China's rulers were enraged by the decision to give the 2010 prize to Liu, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison last December on subversion charges after co-authoring a manifesto calling for political reform in China.
Walesa recalled that when he won the Nobel, he did not collect it in person at the annual award ceremony in the Norwegian capital Oslo in fear that Poland's communist rulers would bar him from returning home.
Instead, his wife Danuta represented him.
Walesa had been playing cat-and-mouse with Poland's regime, which had jailed him during a 1981 military crackdown on his Solidarity opposition movement and released him in 1982.
In 1989, talks between Solidarity and Warsaw's leadership led to an election deal that brought about the regime's peaceful demise and helped speed the end of communist rule in Europe.
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