Special report:   2008 Olympic Games 

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco is "taking the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay seriously" and will try hard to ensure its success, Mayor Garvin Newsom has pledged.

    "We are taking the Olympic Torch Relay seriously and working very hard to ensure that the relay will be a safe yet memorable journey," the mayor said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

    The Olympic Torch will be handed over to San Francisco on April 9, the sixth leg of the torch's around-the-world tour which takes 85,000 miles.

    "We are very honored and proud to be the only city to host the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in Northern America," the mayor said.

    This will be "an unforgettable journey for generations to come in particular for the Chinese Americans in this country and in the rest of the world," the mayor noted

    "It is the first time for Chinese to host Olympic Games. It is not just historical but also means a great deal to all the Chinese communities around the world," said the mayor.

    "As a city composes with over 30 percent of Asian population and mostly are Chinese Americans, I can not be any prouder to have this historical torch relay to come to our town."

    About 80 torch bearers from across North America will carry the Beijing Olympic torch through San Francisco streets in a 6-mile route along the city's bay waterfront on April 9. The city is the torch's only stop in the continent as part of its worldwide relay, called "Journey of Harmony".

    With iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Transamerican Building and the famous Victorian houses, San Francisco is an ideal backdrop as the world looks on to the extraordinary event, according to the mayor.