President Chen Shui-bian this morning received Mr. and Mrs. Hon. Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium's Cercle de Parlementaires-Amis de Taiwan and expressed his welcome to the visitors as well as his hope that relations between the two countries could be further strengthened through the work of this parliamentary friendship group.
President Chen said while the Cercle de Parlementaires-Amis de Taiwan has been founded for 10 years in the Belgium parliament, it only became active in the parliament since Mr. Van Rompuy became the head of the group in February. The president owed his especial thanks to the friendship group for asserting its pro-Taiwan stance to the Belgium foreign minister when China passed an "anti-separation law" and when the European Union contemplated lifting the arms embargo on China.
The president was also grateful that the Belgium parliament passed on May 4 a resolution backing Taiwan's bid to joining the World Health Assembly (WHA) with the status of an observer. He said that although the bid to entering the WHA has not been successful despite nine years' efforts, he believed that Taiwan will become a member in the world's disease prevention organization some day with the support of Belgium.
President Chen confirmed Mr. Van Rompuy's contributions and leadership in the Belgium parliament, praising him as one of the most influential politicians in the country. Prior to the post as head of the Cercle de Parlementaires-Amis de Taiwan, Mr. Van Rompuy served as Belgium's vice prime minister and budget minister. He was also the chairman of the country's Christian Democrat union. The president also expressed his hope that under Mr. Van Rompuy's leadership, the Cercle de Parlementaries-Amis de Taiwan could further boost the Taiwan-Belgium ties.