Olympic flame expected to reach Mt. Everest summit by weekend

The mountaineers taking the Beijing Olympic flame to the top of Mount Everest made camp Wednesday only one kilometer from the summit, Reuters reports.

Poor weather conditions have hindered the progress of the climbers for more than a week. Now the weather has improved, making the expeditioners optimistic that the flame would be burning at the 8,848-meter peak before the weekend, Reuters writes.

Zhang Zhijian, spokesman for the climbing team, said that he was not sure of the exact position of the torch bearers, but that "since the weather is very nice, I think we will have good news in the coming days," Reuters writes.

The Everest flame is separate from the main Olympic torch that is currently touring mainland China, Reuters writes. The itinerary and schedule of the Everest relay has been kept a secret for fears that it may also be marred by protests by pro-Tibet activists, Reuters says.