President Chen Shui-bian met with Eduardo Sevilla and Domingos Ferreira on July 5 at the Office of the President. Sevilla is Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the United Nations, and Ferreira is Chargé d'Affaires of the Sao Tome and Principe Mission to the United Nations.
The president told his guests that the United Nations (UN), with its principle of "universal membership," should not ignore the 23 million people of Taiwan, whose representation is not being reflected in this international body, adding that the fundamental human rights of these people should not be deprived of, and Taiwan should be entitled to participate in the UN and perform its duty as a member of the international society.
Regarding Taiwan's bid to participate in the UN, the president then pointed out to his guests that since last year Taiwan has adopted a dual strategy of "Taiwan participating in the UN" and "peace in the Taiwan Strait," aimed at gaining more international recognition.
Sevilla started serving as Nicaragua's permanent representative to the UN in 2000, and since 2001 has been the Central American coordinator advocating Taiwan's bid to join the UN.
Ferreira is also an experienced diplomat, who began his current position even before Taiwan and Sao Tome and Principe established diplomatic ties in 1997.
The president extended his gratitude to them, appreciating their long-time support.
The two diplomats' visit to the Office of the President was accompanied by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chang Siao-yue. Secretary-General to the President Mark Chen was also present in the meeting.