President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) arrived in Honduras on Wednesday morning, the first leg of his six-day, two-nation visit to Latin America, to attend the inauguration of Honduran president-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa.
Ma was greeted with a brief military ceremony at Palmerola military airport in Comayagua City, about one-and-a-half hours’ drive from Tegucigalpa.
Ambassador to Honduras John Lai (賴建中) said Ma was seated between Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli and Dominican President Leonel Fernandez Reyna during the inauguration. US President Barack Obama sent Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Affairs Arthur Valenzuela to attend on his behalf, Lai said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ma was one of only three presidents attending the inauguration. The two-hour event included a long speech by Lobo, which drew applause and boos, a military fly-by and a 21-gun salute.
Ma said in a statement that he hoped the Republic of China (ROC) and Honduras would develop a strategic partnership, saying the country would do its best to provide any assistance necessary for its Central American ally’s national development.
“No matter how the international situation changes, the friendship between Taiwan and Honduras will remain strong and firm as time progresses,” he said in English. “It is gratifying to see how the two governments and their people work closely together for such a long period of time and we hope it will last forever.”
As a nation protecting freedom and democracy, Ma said the ROC respected the peaceful process and result of Honduras’ presidential election in November.
The election was held after former Honuran president Manuel Zelaya was ousted last June. Zelaya was forced into exile by soldiers amid a dispute over his plans to hold a vote on whether a constituent assembly should be set up to look into rewriting the Constitution. Zelaya left Tegucigalpa on Wednesday afternoon. He had been holed up in the city’s Brazilian embassy after returning to Honduras in secret last September.
On Tuesday, the Honduran Supreme Court cleared six military commanders of exceeding their authority when they ordered soldiers to expel Zelaya. The Honduran Congress also voted to approve an amnesty for both the military and Zelaya, who was facing charges of treason.
Describing the coup as “a surprising political dispute,” Ma said on Monday during a stopover in San Francisco that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was at first cautious in responding to the Honduran crisis, but later joined the international community in condemning the coup.
Ma said the interim government encountered many difficulties at the beginning, but Taiwan had stood by it all along. He said he was happy to see a new government elected, helping the country return to democracy.
After the inauguration, Ma attended a state dinner for foreign leaders and met Martinelli and Fernandez at the presidential building in the afternoon.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said after the closed-door meeting that Ma had invited the two to visit Taiwan and they had both agreed.
Wang said Fernandez told Ma that his election victory was a “vote for peace.”
Fernandez also sought Taiwan’s assistance in various areas, including donations of computers, agricultural cooperation, more investment and construction of a new hospital in the north, Wang said.
Ma said his administration would be glad to help in agricultural assistance and hospital construction after learning more details. To attract foreign investment, Wang said Fernandez promised to improve his country’s investment environment, including taxation, worker training and infrastructure.
Wang said Ma told Martinelli that Taiwan was not against Panama developing a non-official, business relationship with China because his administration has made efforts to improve cross-strait ties.
Ma also thanked Panama for its support for Taiwan’s bid to gain meaningful participation in the UN, to which Martinelli said it was a reasonable bid and that his government would continue to support it.
During a dinner hosted by overseas expatriates, Ma said his visit to Honduras was to acknowledge its efforts to return to democracy following the presidential election.
Ma said his administration succeeded in various endeavors “without sacrificing Taiwan’s dignity or undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of China” thanks to his correct strategies, citing the country’s participation in the WHA, APEC and the Government Procurement Agreement.
Ma also lauded the country’s rescue efforts in Haiti, saying it was part of the administration’s “humanitarian diplomacy” and that it helped raise the country’s international profile.
Ma was to leave for the Dominican Republic yesterday morning. The trip to the Dominican Republic was added at the last minute so the president could deliver relief supplies to quake-hit Haiti. Ma is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Jan. 30 after making a short stopover in Los Angeles.
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