President Chen Shui-bian on September 13 met with a visiting delegation from the Central American Parliament. On behalf of the government and the 23 million people of the ROC (Taiwan), the president expressed a warm welcome and gratitude to the guests.
President Chen said that last month he led a delegation to Central America to participate in the Sixth Summit of the Heads of States and Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Central America and the Dominican Republic, which was held in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. After the summit, he also made stops in El Salvador and Nicaragua. The president said that he was touched by the warm welcome and reception he received in all of the countries he visited, helping to make the trip a complete success. The president also expressed his concern about the damage inflicted on Central American nations by a recent hurricane that swept through the region.
The president expressed his appreciation for the friendship and support for Taiwan exhibited by the Central American Parliament. In 1999, the institution passed a resolution allowing Taiwan to be an observer. This has provided Taiwan an opportunity to fulfill its responsibility as a member of the international community and strengthen its cooperative relationship with the region, he said. In addition, the Central American Parliament in March 2005 also passed a resolution expressing its strong opposition to China's passage of the Anti-separation Law. The resolution noted that the Anti-separation Law and China's deployment of missiles aimed at Taiwan have created tension in the Taiwan Strait and have threatened peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The president further said that the Central American Parliament has for many years supported Taiwan's bid to enter the World Health Organization (WHO) and to be an observer in the World Health Assembly, helping to generate attention in the international community for the right to health for the 23 million people of Taiwan. The people of Taiwan have been fortunate to receive such support from the parliament, he said. Prior to the convening of the parliament in late June and early July this year in Honduras, Central American Parliament President Ciro Cruz Zepeda Pena made a special declaration condemning Costa Rica for making a poor decision in establishing diplomatic relations with China. The parliament also passed two resolutions to strengthen friendly ties with Taiwan. The president thanked President Zepeda as well as the parliament for their efforts in this regard.
President Chen stressed that in addition to hoping to join the WHO, the people of Taiwan desire to be a member of the United Nations. He said he hopes the parliament will continue to support Taiwan in its efforts to participate in the international community and international organizations. The president also said he hopes the group on this visit to Taiwan will share in the happiness and pride of Taiwan in its infrastructure and development projects.
In addition to Central American Parliament President Zepeda, participants in the delegation included Parliament Vice President Francisco Campbell Hooker, Parliament Vice President Julio Guillermo Gonzalez, Parliament Vice President Andres de las Mercedes, and Members of Parliament Vilma Antonieta Reyes Escalante and Franklin Rolando Rivera Escudero. The delegation was escorted to the Presidential Building in the morning by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Ching-shan Hou. Also in attendance was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Chen Chi-mai.