No decisions on passport addition yet, ministry says

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Richard Shih (石瑞琦) yesterday denied that the government has finalized a decision to add the word "Taiwan" in Roman script to passport covers.

"There is no timetable for the passport-cover change nor confirmation of the way the word `Taiwan' is to be added to the cover," Shih said during a morning press conference.

The ministry has conducted four opinion polls on the passport project, with the latest one held in January, Shih said.

Over half of respondents in the polls agreed when asked whether they support the proposal to add "Taiwan" in "an appropriate way" on the nation's passport covers, Shih said.

The ministry had dropped its original proposal to place "Issued in Taiwan" on the cover of the nation's new passport, Shih said.

He denied reports that the ministry had completed its passport reform project.

Shih the clarification after local media reported yesterday on Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien's (簡又新) presentation to the DPP Central Executive Committee earlier this week.

While Chien's report focused on Taiwan's World Health Organization bid and the WTO Secretariat's effort to downgrade the nation's status, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), in his capacity as DPP chairman, asked Chien to give him an update on the passport plan, the reports said.

Shih that Chien had briefed the DPP, although he stressed there was no timetable for changing passport covers.

The ministry's original proposal to add "Issued in Taiwan" was killed due to internal disagreement over the proposal, Shih said.

His remark echoed the foreign minister's announcement last July that he would delay a plan to add "Issued in Taiwan" to the passport cover after both opposition and DPP lawmakers opposed the idea.

DPP said the suggestion would belittle the country and didn't go far enough in clarifying the nation's identity.

Opposition said the proposed addition would be a move toward independence.

The legislature has passed a pair of non-binding resolutions on passport reforms that contradict one another, a sign of divisive opinions on the controversial issue, ministry officials said.

The first resolution states there should be no change to the passport cover, while the second one stipulates that "Taiwan" in Roman script should be added.