On the evening of November 22nd, President Chen Shui-bian hosted a state banquet in honor of President and Mrs. Blaise Compaore and the delegation of Burkina Faso at the Grand Hotel in Kaohsiung, expressing to his guests his utmost welcome and deepest thanks.
In his speech, President Chen recalled vividly the wonderful trip to the "green miracle"--the Bagre Rice Plantation developed by the people of Burkina Faso and technicians from Taiwan--when he visited the country in 2000. He mentioned in particular the thought-provoking remarks President Compaore made on the way to the plantation: "You have watches, but have no time; we have no watches, but have plenty of time," and "We have nothing in Burkina Faso, so we work very hard."
Burkina Faso is a western African country with an ancient civilization. It has a population of 10 million, about half that of Taiwan and an area eight times the size of Taiwan. In recent years, Burkina Faso's outstanding performances in economic development and democratization have received much applause from the international society and its allies. President Chen gave his blessing to Burkina Faso's prosperous future, and wished for an everlasting friendship between the two nations.
In concluding the banquet, President Chen also expressed his heartfelt gratitude for Burkina Faso's firm support for Taiwan's bid to join the United Nations, the World Health Organization and other major international organizations.
Prior to the banquet, President Chen accompanied President and Mrs. Compaore to visit a liquor factory and a tilapia aquafarm in Tainan County. President Chen expressed his hope that the guests could get a better understanding of Taiwan's excellent techniques in distilling and fish farming through the visits, thereby helping promote related projects in Burkina Faso.