Lawmakers of all stripes praise European gesture

Lawmakers of all stripes yesterday praised the European Parliament for passing a resolution in support of Taiwan's security and participation in international activities.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who led a delegation to visit Europe in July, told reporters he was not surprised at the friendly gesture by the legislative arm of the 15-nation EU.

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a non-binding rule urging Beijing to dismantle all missiles deployed along its southeastern coast against Taiwan.

The resolution, intended to strengthen strategic ties between Asia and Europe, also asked member states to grant visas to Taiwanese officials including President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Wang said that during its trip, the cross-party delegation brought up the issue during a meeting with European Parliament leader Pat Cox and others.

"Many European parliamentarians expressed sympathy for the travel restrictions facing ROC officials and promised to lend a helping hand," he said.

Aware of Taiwan's importance in preserving stability, the resolution calls on China and Taiwan to resume dialogue and seek to resolve their differences peacefully.

Wang accredited the diplomatic feat to the joint effort of the legislators as well as diplomats stationed in Europe.

KMT legislative leader Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) shared the speaker's boosted morale.

He recalled that during their trip, France originally denied the delegation entry to Strasbourg, the site of the European Parliament, but had to back down after Cox and others lodged a strong protest.

According to Tseng, Cox also agreed to visit Taiwan and pledged to do his best to plug bills favorable to the country.

The resolution encourages EU members to sign free trade agreements with Taiwan and back its bid to join the WHO and the Asia-Europe Meeting, which is slated to meet in Copenhagen later this month.

Tseng said he and fellow colleagues will continue to promote "parliamentary diplomacy" which has emerged as a promising way to break the diplomatic isolation imposed by Beijing Each year, many lawmakers tour the globe in the hope of upgrading ties between Taiwan and other countries.

DPP legislative whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) said that the legislature should beef up exchanges with its foreign counterparts that share similar political values.

He said he was impressed by the political culture of European countries that feature democracy, respect and tolerance.

"On Thursday they [the European Parliament] once again lived up to their convictions by adopting a resolution that pleads with the governments on both sides of the Strait to pursue peace," Wang said.

To that end, the resolution calls for the establishment of a war-avoidance mechanism across the Strait and suggests Beijing quit building up its arms arsenal.

The DPP lawmaker agreed that parliamentary diplomacy offers Taiwan a great opportunity to cast off the "one China" curse.