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Taiwan bracing to lose diplomatic ally

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that Taiwan is prepared for a diplomatic setback in relations with Macedonia, which appears set to break official ties with Taipei.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂) arrived in Macedonia on Thursday to make a last-ditch effort to save relations.

The foreign ministry statement yesterday lacked the usual assurances that relations were strong.

Instead, the news release appeared to try to prepare the Taiwanese public for a diplomatic defeat, explaining that China, a three-month rebel insurgency and domestic political changes were pressuring Macedonia to switch ties to Beijing.

"We hope the public will use a calm attitude to face possible developments in Taiwan-Macedonia relations," the statement said.

However, the statement also said that Taiwan would not grovel to save ties with its second European ally.

"The government will not make great concessions ... and will not damage the country's dignity for the sake of maintaining official links," the ministry said in a statement.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said the government would exert maximum effort to save relations but added Taiwan's interests would not be compromised.

Tien also gave brief, guarded comments to reporters.

"We are still diplomatic allies," he told TVBS cable news.

But Taiwan's ambassador to Macedonia, Peter Cheng (鄭博久)said yesterday that he was very pessimistic about the situation.

He also said that Taiwan had no plan to downgrade its representation in Macedonia, implying that the country would pull out of Macedonia altogether should the switch in diplomatic relations go ahead.

When Taiwan forged ties with Macedonia in 1999, it was a diplomatic coup because it had only one other European ally: the Vatican.

Beijing immediately severed relations with Macedonia but has aggressively lobbied the nation to dump Taiwan and recognize China again.

China has also used its seat in the powerful UN Security Council to pressure Macedonia. In 1999 it vetoed the extension of a UN peacekeeping force in the Balkan nation -- a move seen as revenge for Skopje's recognition of Taiwan.

A top Macedonian government official said on Friday on condition of anonymity that Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski met with the Taiwanese foreign minister on Thursday but told him relations with China might be re-established as soon as next week.

Macedonia's foreign minister, Ilinka Mitreva, said recently that establishing relations with Taiwan was "a mistake," admitting the move was economically motivated.
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