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President mulls inviting freed Burmese activist

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sent his regards to Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi after she was released by the Burmese military government yesterday.

Officials from the Presidential Office also indicated that they will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to study the possibility of inviting the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner to visit Taiwan.

"President Chen had sent a personal note to Ms Suu Kyi in May 2000 to invite her to attend his inauguration and witness Taiwan's first [democratic] transfer of political power," said Deputy Secretary-General to the President Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).

"Even though she could not visit at that time, she did express her admiration for Taiwan's democratization in her reply," Wu said.

Wu stressed that, upon learning the news of Aung San Suu Kyi's release, the president immediately told his aides that Taiwan should publicly welcome the release of the human rights activist.

An aide in charge of foreign affairs also said that the president has great sympathy for Suu Kyi because he used to be a lawyer dealing with human rights cases -- and he also had to serve jail time for the cause of democracy.

The official said that the president therefore wants to invite her to Taiwan so she can witness the country's democratic achievement.

"If there is a possibility [of her visiting Taiwan] -- which we will know once the foreign ministry contacts her -- we are willing to extend another invitation for her to visit Taiwan," the aide said.

Meanwhile, President Chen also sent a message to French President Jacques Chirac to congratulate him on getting re-elected, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.

The ministry said in a press release yesterday that French voters have chosen to let Chirac continue leading them in their national development.

Noting that France is one of the most important European powers, the ministry said that Taiwan was looking forward to strengthening relations and expanding cooperation with the new French government -- cooperation, it said, based on the principles of equality and reciprocity.

According to the MOFA, France is one of the European countries that have attached great significance to developing its bilateral exchanges with Taiwan.

Over the years, the ministry said, Taiwan-French cooperation in the fields of economics, trade, culture, academics and technology has been growing steadily.
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