The warm welcome Taiwan is giving visiting Liberian President Charles Taylor, whose West African country faces UN sanctions for trading arms for illicit gems, drew criticism from politicians and human rights activists yesterday.
Taylor, who arrived in Taipei Wednesday night for a six-day visit, received a 21-gun salute Thursday. During a state banquet that evening, President Chen Shui-bian (
"It is deplorable that Chen failed to press his concerns about reported human rights violations in the ally country," said Ko Yu-jane (顧玉珍) of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights. Chen has vowed to promote human rights diplomacy in an attempt to differentiate his administration from its KMT predecessor, which was frequently accused of buying diplomatic recognition with cash.
On March 7, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for sanctions against Liberian diamond exports and a travel ban on Taylor, unless the country cuts all ties with Sierra Leone's rebels. Taylor seized power following a bloody civil war, and is charged with providing neighboring rebels with weapons in exchange for unlawfully obtained gems. Sierra Leone's rebels are notorious for chopping limbs off their victims, including women and children.
"The reception of Taylor will cancel out Taiwan's efforts to promote human rights," Ko said.
The activist said she understood the diplomatic predicament facing Taiwan but that indiscriminately courting foreign allies will not boost the country's international profile.
Liberia, since establishing official ties with Taipei in 1989, has endorsed Taiwan's accession to the UN before the international body.
Echoing Ko's discontent, New Party lawmaker Levi Ying (營志宏) said Taylor's visit helped prove that the human rights diplomacy touted by Chen is not being upheld. He said "as a small country, Taiwan can't afford to play the [human rights] game started by the western powers."
Ying said Taiwan seeks a pact with Beijing that binds the two foes to abandon their diplomatic rivalry. He said a private deal is better than nothing if an open one is not impossible.
DPP lawmaker Parris Chang (
"A person is judged by the company he keeps," said Chang. "The foreign ministry put the president in an awkward position by inviting Taylor to the island."
But the ministry said it has done nothing wrong.
"It is important that the world is aware of the existence of Taiwan," said Andrew Chang (張雲屏), deputy director-general for the ministry's department of information and cultural affairs.
He said it is the ministry's consistent policy to befriend allies despite their size. "Whether they are big or small, they give us one vote in the UN," said the diplomat.
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