A total of 44 legislators from both the ruling and opposition camps have signed an anti-war declaration, calling on the government to change its mind about supporting a US-led war on Iraq, the local media reported yesterday.
Although the government has repeatedly shown its support to Washington over the past few months, divergent voices on the Iraq issue have of late become increasingly louder.
According to Chien Hsi-chieh (
During a press conference held by the foundation yesterday morning, Chien said that Taiwan should not curry favor with the US and ignore the brutality of war, since the nation itself is under constant military threat from China.
Many of the 44 lawmakers from the KMT, the PFP and the New Party also attended the press conference to show their support for the foundation's campaign. However, none of the 15 DPP lawmakers who signed the declaration showed up.
Chien, a former DPP legislator, says the party now appears to be the "Democratic Regressive Party."
Meanwhile, the government continues to express its strong support for US President George W. Bush, according to Chinese-language media reports.
Taiwan will back its US ally in launching a war against Iraq, even if the US is not authorized by the UN to do so, Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday.
"The government's stance is clear: We support any global anti-terrorist campaign even if drastic means are needed to combat terrorism," Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
Although Taiwan may not directly participate in the possible US-led war, Lin said that the government will make efforts to be well-prepared for any possible confrontation.
"Whatever action we may take in the future, we'll make sure that national interest, regional stability and support for our US ally are taken into account," Lin said.
In related news, the nation's representative offices in the Middle East have prepared themselves for an imminent US-led war against Iraq, diplomatic sources in the region said Monday.
Under directives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the liaison offices in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have finished taking a census of Taiwanese nationals residing in the two countries and are strengthening communication channels and related activities, said James Wang (王維傑), Taiwan's representative to Saudi Arabia.
The situation is calm and everything remains normal in Saudi Arabia, Wang said.
"The situation this time is starkly different from the situation prior to the 1991 Gulf War, when the coalition forces were launching incessant bombing missions on Iraqi military establishments and Iraq was attacking the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh with missiles in retaliation for Saudi Arabia's granting of permission to US forces to use its military bases," Wang said.
Among all the Middle-East countries, Saudi Arabia has the greatest number of Taiwanese expatriates, with about 1,000 Taiwan nationals living there.
According to Wang, his office has an up-to-date list of the names of Taiwan's expatriates residing in the country but has not taken any measures to urge them to evacuate Saudi Arabia.
There are about 30 Taiwanese residing in Kuwait, with most holding dual nationality and just three having only ROC passports.
Like the US and UK embassies in Kuwait, Taiwan's representative office in the country evacuated its staff members' families earlier this year. Only the representative and his secretary remain in the country.
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