Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu on Thursday urged Margrete Auken, the fourth deputy speaker of the Danish Parliament, to understand the Republic of China government and people's view regarding the Danish government's refusal to grant a visa for President Chen Shui-bian to visit the European country.
The vice president made the remarks while receiving at the Presidential Office the Danish political figure and her husband who are currently on a weeklong visit to Taiwan.
A local newspaper recently reported that Danish Foreign Minister Pia Stig Moller had expressed that his ministry would not issue a visa for President Chen. This came after an invitation to the ROC president from Pia Kjaersgaard, chairman of the Danish People's Party.
Kjaersgaard had told local media during his recent visit to Taiwan that his party intended to invite President Chen to visit Denmark this year.
While expressing her gratitude to Auken and her Socialist People's Party for their long support for Taiwan, Lu said she hopes that the Danish deputy speaker will be able to gain a better understanding during her visit with regard to the media report.
In response, Auken promised to pass all the opinions expressed by the government and people of the ROC to the Danish government, although she added that the President Chen visa issue is not an easy problem to deal with.
The Danish Foreign Ministry had rejected a visa application for President Chen to visit Copenhagen in 2001 to receive the 2001 Freedom Prize presented by the Liberal International.
Meanwhile, Lu said that Taiwan and Denmark are not big countries and that both have the same beliefs in terms of respecting the universal values of freedom and democracy. She added that if Denmark is a representative of Western civilization and Taiwan is a symbol of Asian civilization, then the two countries should further strengthen their exchanges and cooperation.
Noting that Denmark has played an important part in the history of the women's rights movement, the vice president said that the efforts she has made since 1970 have helped improve Taiwanese women's status. Lu added that the improvement in local women's position is equal to the island's economic and democratic achievements.
Lu also said that her participation in last year's annual meeting of the Liberal International held in Hungary drew the attention of political parties of many countries.
She also noted that Beijing was powerless to prevent her visit during that same year to five countries that do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan despite making every effort to do so.
The vice president emphasized that free travel is a basic human right and urged all countries not to follow mainland China in trying to stifle this right.
She also urged Auken to help Taiwan to join the World Health Organization in order to allow the island to contribute to the health and welfare of humankind.
During their meeting, the vice president also exchanged views with the Danish deputy speaker on various human rights issues including the abolition of the death penalty and women's participation in politics.
Lu also received Anne Grete Holmsgaard, foreign affairs spokesman for the Danish Socialist People's Party, and her husband on the occasion.