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Ministry backtracks on Iraq stance

"We don't think the statement he made was inappropriate, nor do we think there was any dereliction of duty."

Lin Chia-lung, Cabinet spokesman

Opposition legislators yesterday grilled a foreign ministry spokesman for echoing US President George W. Bush's ultimatum to Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, claiming the pro-US stance might backfire and damage Taiwan's interests.

Lawmakers confronted Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Richard Shih (石瑞琦) at a legislative subcommittee meeting yesterday over his statements on Tuesday urging Saddam to meet US demands to leave Iraq by 9am today to avert war.

Shih said he made the statement "in an informal and private capacity" amid attacks from legislators and later said his remark was "a slip of tongue."

But his answer didn't satisfy lawmakers.

"I don't think you've got sufficient evidence to persuade the press here that you made the remark in your private capacity," said PFP Legislator Hwang Yih-jiau (黃義交).

Shih made the statement during the ministry's regular press conference on Tuesday morning.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) said it's not the ministry's position to urge Saddam to accept the 48-hour ultimatum, while adding that the US, as a longstanding ally, deserves Taiwan's support in its anti-terrorism campaign.

PFP Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) said around 8,000 expatriates from countries in the Middle East live in Taiwan, including 106 Iraqis and 1,348 Iranians.

Chou said he's afraid the government's overtly pro-US stance might pose a threat to the nation's security should these people from the Middle East take any drastic measures.

KMT Legislator Yang Li-huan (楊麗環) dubbed Shih's remark on Tuesday as a blunder.

The minister said he had urged Shih to act with caution in his capacity as the ministry's spokesman.

Shih's statement was broadcast in the Middle East by al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based Arabic-language news network, sources said.

Al-Jazeera has recently forged an alliance with PowerTV, a local television station, on exchanges of news footage, according to PowerTV.

The leaders of the country's two largest cities also urged caution.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) warned during the Cabinet meeting that the government should tone down its support for the US-led war against Iraq.

Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) also proposed that the government carefully address the issue and clearly explain its stance.

However, the Executive Yuan yesterday threw its weight behind Shih

"We don't think the statement he made was inappropriate, nor do we think there was any dereliction of duty," said Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).

Premier Yu Shyi-kun requested that the foreign ministry take the initiative to clarify the matter as soon as possible.

"We're a peace-loving country. We support the global anti-terrorism campaign and have no intention of joining the US-led war," Lin quoted Yu as saying.

Yu added that as the war breaks out, Taiwan will offer humanitarian aid to needy countries and help in rebuilding devastated homelands.

While some lawmakers expressed concern over Shih's pro-US stance, which they said might make Taiwan a potential target of terrorism, Lin said that the odds of this happening were slim.

"However, we should always brace ourselves for the worst-case scenario, because you never know when or where or how terrorists might attack," Lin said.

Lin said that Taiwan is well prepared for the imminent war against Iraq, as the Cabinet's ad hoc task force set up to cope with the economic and financial fallout of the invasion held its seventh meeting yesterday.

"Within 30 minutes of the start of the war, we'll activate the anti-terrorism mechanism and complete the security deployment," Lin said.

"The task force will also call , meeting to respond to new developments," he said.

According to Lin, the nation's current oil reserves could meet demand for 115 days.

The inventory of staples such as soy beans, corn and wheat can meet demand for two-and-a-half months, while supplies of rice can last for seven months.

The foreign exchange rate also remains stable as the US to NT dollar exchange rate fluctuates between US$1 to NT$34.62 and to NT$34.74 between March 11 and March 17.
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