President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of May 18 with Israeli bird conservation expert Dr. Yossi Leshem of Tel Aviv University. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended his warmest welcome to Prof. Leshem on his visit to Taiwan, and thanked him for making the trip.
In remarks, the president noted that Prof. Leshem has carried out in-depth research in the fields of zoology, bird conservation, and the prevention of bird collisions involving airports and airplanes. Prof. Leshem's research, he said, has made an enormous contribution in the wake of a number of disasters caused throughout the world as the result of birds striking airplanes.
President Ma stated that Taiwan is situated in an International Bird Area, and it and Israel are both located in paths that migratory birds take. The president said he first met Prof. Leshem in 1999 when the latter came to Taiwan to participate in international ornithological activities. In the same year, he visited Israel in his capacity as Taipei City mayor and during that trip visited Prof. Leshem's research facilities, where he saw pictures of a crash by an F-15 fighter jet after it was struck by a bird. Consequently, he said, he understands the enormous contribution of Prof. Leshem's work to conservation as well as aviation safety. The president said that after he returned to Taiwan he immediately sent a letter to the then Air Force commander in chief to express his hopes that the ROC Air Force would closely follow Prof. Leshem's research in order to strengthen ROC Air Force flight safety.
In addition, the president also stressed that Prof. Leshem's research has helped to bring rays of peace to the West Asian region. The air force commanders in chief in five of Israel's neighbouring countries have become friendlier, and Israel is working together with these nations on research to prevent bird strikes. This is enabling these one-time enemies to become friends. It is thus clear, the president said, that Prof. Leshem has achieved extraordinary accomplishments.
Accompanying Prof. Leshem to the Presidential Office to meet President Ma was Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei Representative Simona Halperin and Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基). Also attending the meeting were National Security Council Advisor Chung Chien (鍾堅), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of West Asian Affairs' Director General Lin Jinn-jong (林進忠).