President Chen met with an Icelandic delegation of parliamentarians on March 6, extending to the guests his warmest welcome and deepest appreciation.
The cross-partisan delegation was headed by Parliamentary Caucus Chairwoman Arnbjorg Sveinsdottir of the ruling Independence Party (Sjalfstaedhisflokkurinn; SFF). The other delegations are Parliamentarians Kristinn H. Gunnarsson, Bjarni Benediktsson, and Asta R. Johannesdottir.
The president first thanked Chairwoman Sveinsdottir for attending the 2004 Nordic Conference on Taiwan, in which the president, through teleconferencing, had a talk with Chairwoman Sveinsdottir and the other key leaders from the Nordic countries. Through the guests, the president also extended his gratitude to the Icelandic government for rendering to Taiwan hospitality and friendship when Secretary-General to the President Mark Chen, the then foreign minister, visited Iceland in 2005.
Chairwoman Sveinsdottir said she was impressed by the president's efforts in promoting political reforms. "Iceland and Taiwan are both island countries. I believe more mutual collaboration will benefit us both," said the chairwoman.
Although the two countries are island countries, their visions, however, are not insular. The president then praised Iceland's advanced development and Icelandic women's achievements. "The Icelandic national income per capita is twice as much as Taiwan's. Taiwan should also learn from Iceland in the field of women's issues," said the president.
Toward the end of the meeting, the president hoped the guests would urge their parties and government to support Taiwan's bid to become an observer at the World Health Assembly, which convenes in May annually. "Taiwan has much experience in the prevention of SARS and avian flu; it is thus unwise to exclude Taiwan and make it a loophole in the global disease prevention network," said the president.