President Chen Shui-bian met with former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk on May 14 at the Office of the President and extended his warmest welcome, praising de Klerk for his achievements in promoting democracy and protecting human rights.
The president thanked the former South African President for urging the international community to recognize Taiwan's efforts and accomplishments in defending human rights and democracy, while sustaining economic growth. De Klerk also called on Taiwan and China to resolve cross-strait disputes through peaceful dialogue, saying that no matter the outcome, Taiwan's achievements in democracy, human rights and economic development must not be jeopardized.
President Chen praised the former South African President for his wisdom and courage to abolish apartheid and release Nelson Mandela, paving the way for South Africa's transformation from authoritarian regime to democracy and from apartheid and oligarchy to freedom and equality.
The president lauded the process in which South Africa enacted its new constitution in 1996. He said that the "political negotiation and the participation of the public" in South Africa's constitutional re-engineering process are two aspects Taiwan should learn from.
This was former South African President de Klerk's fourth visit to Taiwan. He was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang. Deputy Secretary-General to the President Cho Jung-tai was also present at the meeting.