Legislators leave for EU

Five legislators from the Taiwan-EU Inter-parliamentary Amity Association departed last night for Europe for a 10-day visit.

DPP Legislator Parris Chang (張旭成), leader of the group, said in a news conference prior to his departure that the relations between Taiwan and the European Parliament are getting closer and that the European Parliament passed several resolutions in support of Taiwan over the past six months.

Chang cited as examples the resolution in support of Taiwan's bid to enter the WHO and the resolution that said disputes across the Taiwan Strait should be resolved peacefully.

Chang said, however, that many European countries, under pressure from China, are unwilling to issue visas to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and high-ranking officials.

Chang noted that parliamentarians of the European Parliament who are friendly to Taiwan have proposed in a resolution that the European Parliament and members of the EU respect the basic travel rights and issue visas to Chen and other high-ranking Taiwanese officials and that Taiwan will be able to attend Asia-Europe Meeting.

Chang said that he hopes that the European Parliament will pass the resolution Sept. 5 to encourage freedom of travel.

The group, which also includes DPP legislators Chou Huei-ying (邱議瑩), and Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) and Yang Li-huan (楊麗環) of the KMT, left for Strasbourg, France, via Frankfurt last night.

The group is also scheduled to visit the WTO Secretariat, European Parliament PEP-Taiwan Friendship Group Chairman George Jarzembowski and Elmar Brok, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defense Policy of the European Parliament as well as Taiwan's representative offices in the WTO, Geneva, and Amsterdam before returning to Taiwan Sept. 12.