President Chen Shui-bian on March 2 met with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Betty Williams, who is on her fourth visit to Taiwan. President Chen, on behalf of the ROC (Taiwan) government and people, expressed his warmest welcome and gratitude to Ms. Williams.
President Chen said that he is delighted to have the opportunity to once again meet Ms. Williams, who was awarded the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize. The president met Ms. Williams last year in Costa Rica during the inauguration ceremonies for President Oscar Arias Sanchez.
President Chen said that Ms. Williams has been a good friend to and staunch supporter of Taiwan. In October last year, she attended a reception in Dublin held in celebration of Taiwan's Double Ten National Day. He added that Ms. Williams has been outspoken about the unfair treatment afforded the ROC (Taiwan) representative office in Ireland, and has called on the Irish prime minister to address the situation. President Chen once again expressed his gratitude to Ms. Williams for this.
The president furthermore said that Ms. Williams also visited Taiwan in both March and May 2004 to provide assistance to Ms. Lee Li-chun in going to Russia to have facial reconstruction surgery. The plight faced by Ms. Lee, who suffered from extreme disfiguration of her face, attracted the attention of Ms. Williams, who provided assistance. President Chen said that the humanitarian spirit of Ms. Williams left a deep impression on the 23 million people of Taiwan.
President Chen also said that Ms. Williams accepted an invitation to visit Taiwan to participate in the 60th anniversary activities of the 228 Incident and to deliver a public lecture at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy entitled "The Politics of Nonviolence." The president extended his appreciation to Ms. Williams for her support of Taiwan. He also expressed his concern about the health of the visitor, as Ms. Williams, suffering from a cold, was unable to attend various activities held on February 28. He said he hopes that her health has taken a turn for the better.
President Chen said that in her speech upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976, Ms. Williams noted, "Compassion is more important than intellect, in calling forth the love that the work of peace needs, and intuition can often be a far more powerful searchlight than cold reason." How to find a balance between justice and forgiveness in an effort to avoid causing social rift in the pursuit of the truth is food for thought as Taiwan marks the 60th anniversary of the 228 Incident, he said.
After their meeting, President Chen accompanied Ms. Williams to view an exhibit on the first floor of the Presidential Building.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Tzu-pao accompanied 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Betty Williams to the Presidential Building in the morning to meet President Chen. Also in attendance was Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidential Office, Chen Chi-mai.