President Chen Shui-bian met with a delegation of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group at the Office of the President on April 11, reassuring the guests his conviction in maintaining cross-strait peace and stability.
The president told the guests that no one could force Taiwan's 23 million citizens to accept cross-strait unification as the ultimate goal, and added that no options regarding future cross-strait development would be excluded on the condition that China gives up its authoritarian rule and that any decision is consented by all of Taiwan's citizens.
At the meeting, the president also extended his gratitude to the guests and their parliament for supporting Taiwan over the issues of China's passage of its Anti-Separation Law, the lifting of the arms embargo against China, and Taiwan's bid for an observer status at the World Health Assembly. As the annual World Health Assembly is going to convene in the forthcoming May, the president again called for the guests' support.
The European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group delegation was led by the group's Vice Chairman Jose Javier Pomes Ruiz, and the visit was accompanied by the European Economic and Trade Office Head Brian McDonald and Taiwan's Vice Foreign Minister Chang Siao-yue.