On September 1, President Chen Shui-bian received a delegation of ambassabors of Taiwan's four allies to the UN. President Chen appreciated them for supporting Taiwan to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN).
President Chen stressed that issues such as health care and disease prevention transcend national boundaries, adding that the 23 million people of Taiwan should not be deprived of their human rights to health, nor should this right in any way be ignored or limited.
In addition, President Chen was grateful to the allies' two proposals to the UN. One was to urge the UN to take a proactive role in maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and the Asia Pacific region; the other was to ensure the representation of the 23 million people of Taiwan in the UN.
President Chen also requested the visiting delegation to convey his greetings to their heads of state. Attendees in the reception include Ambassadors Rigoberto Gauto Vielman of Paraguay, Alicia Martin Gallegos of Nicaragua, Homero Luis Hernandez Sanchez of Dominican Republic, and Thembayena Annastasia Dlamini of Swaziland.
Vice Foreign Minister Javier Ching-shan Hou and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Shyh-fang were also present.