The American Institute in Taiwan yesterday expressed its appreciation to Taiwan's government for its support.
"We are very grateful for President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) articulation of support for the US objectives [on anti-terrorism]," Douglas Paal, Taipei office director of the institute, said yesterday.
Referring to the president's statement a day earlier regarding Taiwan's stance in support of the US war against Iraq, Paal said that as he saw it, Taiwan would have a role to play in reconstruction and humanitarian relief after hostilities ended.
Paal said that, to his knowledge, Taiwan had not been asked to make material contributions in the attack against Iraq.
Even though many countries had provided various forms of material support to the US, Paal said, large amounts of food, medicine and expertise in reconstruction work would be required after the war.
He said that the amount of reconstruction needed in Iraq would depend on how the war concluded and that the US, the UK and Australia would take primary responsibility for providing humanitarian relief.
Since the outbreak of the war, several anti-war groups have staged protests in front of the institute's office in Taipei. Paal said that he was grateful that the protests were peaceful and the police were helpful in "making sure that the activities were within the law."
"All wars are accompanied by dissatisfaction and a free society has different people and the right to protest, we respect that," he said.
On the other hand, the anti-war sentiment in Taiwan surprised him, he said, because in comparison "there have been so few protests in the US," he added.
Emphasizing that the war against Iraq was a pre-emptive action against terrorism, Paal spoke of the new concept of going on the offensive to protect the people from terrorists with advanced destructive weapons.
Paal said that instead of the "negotiation concept" of the past that had allowed threats to grow until they became real, in the 21st century "we can't wait; we have to go on the offensive."
On the situation in East Asia: "When that kind of threat emerges, that certainly removes options," he said.
Speaking on the effect of the war against Iraq on this part of the world and relations between Washington, Beijing and Taipei in particular, Paal said that there should be no affect on these relationships.
"The PRC seems to me [to be] trying very hard to avoid having an effect on our broad relationship," he said. "They have clearly not taken the adversary-to-war stance that the French took in the UN Security Council."
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