Taiwan will not help the US with the military cost of the war in Iraq, but humanitarian aid to the country will top the government's agenda, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) said yesterday.
"Our country will not shoulder any cost of the war, nor dispatch any military forces there. We will, however, offer humanitarian aid," Chien said.
Chien's remark came one day after Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Tou Chou-seng (
Tou first said that, while the US had not asked Taiwan for financial help, "the possibility of sharing the cost could not be ruled out," according to the Central News Agency.
But Tou then said that, even if the US presented such a request, Taiwan would not necessarily agree to help.
Chien also said yesterday that although the Cabinet had decided to send aid worth NT$150 million to Iraq, how to send and distribute that aid was uncertain.
"We are still talking to the Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations," Chien said. "Currently it is a problem to get into Iraq."
Chien said that since the war is still going on, the scale of the humanitarian aid from Taiwan and neighboring countries remains uncertain.
The ministry has yet to decide how much aid it will contribute, Chien said.
"Our maximum contribution will not exceed our annual budget for emergency humanitarian aid of NT$310 million," Chien said.
The ministry was slated to host a second coordination meeting with over 20 NGOs this morning to streamline humanitarian aid to Iraq and its neighboring countries, the ministry said.
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