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Chen gets cosy with Caribbean, Central American presidents

Above: President Chen Shui-bian, second left, with Haitian President Alexander Boniface, far left, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, center, Honduran President Ricardo Maduro, second right, and Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca applaud during the inauguration of Panamanian President Martin Torrijos on Wednesday. PHOTO: LIU HSIN-TE, TAIPEI TIMES

Pointing to what they called Taiwan's political and economical achievements, the presidents of two Caribbean nations on Wednesday told President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) that "Taiwan is the dream model" for them in developing their own countries.

"They expressed admiration at Taiwan's political and economic achievements, and both the Haitian president and the Dominican Republic president told President Chen that they wanted to develop their countries to become the Taiwan of the Caribbean," said Presidential Deputy Secretary-General James Huang (黃志芳), who is accompanying Chen on his Central American tour.

The Caribbean leaders made the remarks in separate meetings with Chen, which were held on the same day as the inauguration ceremony of Panamanian President Martin Torrijos on Wednesday, Huang said.

Bilateral meetings with Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala -- all diplomatic allies of Taiwan -- were also held that day, Huang said.

Huang said that the various heads of state expressed the desire to strengthen economic ties with Taiwan and to attract investor interest in their countries.

Chen also told his Caribbean counterparts of the growth in the Panamanian economy since Panama signed a free-trade agreement with Taiwan.

Trade volume between the two countries was US$130 million for last year, but in the first six months of this year, trade volume surged to US$140 million, with Panama's exports to Taiwan registering annual growth of 563 percent.

"All the leaders expressed their support for Taiwan," Huang said. "They told President Chen that they support Taiwan not because they receive financial aid but because they really find Taiwan's political and economic achievements to be admirable and that they share Taiwan's values," Huang said.

Noting that his country had suffered terribly from civil war, Guatemalan Vice President Eduar-do Stein was quoted as telling Chen that he could understand the unjust circumstances Taiwan is facing, adding that his country would "support Taiwan unconditionally to join international organizations and obtain its deserved place in the international community."

A meeting with the Organization of American States' (OAS) incoming general secretary, Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria, was also arranged, during which Chen expressed the hope that the organization would accept Taiwan as an observer.

Chen reportedly told Rodriguez that nearly one-third of the organization's members are Central or South American countries with close ties to Taiwan, and that Taiwan could make a major contribution to the economic network of the region should it become an OAS observer nation.

In response, Rodriguez, also a former president of Costa Rica, told Chen that he had told Taiwan's former representative to the US, Chen Chien-jen (程建人), that Taiwan had to utilize a diplomatic strategy to obtain the support of all OAS member nations.

"[Rodriguez] said he believed that Taiwan should be able to achieve the goal of joining the OAS if it applies diplomatic wisdom," Huang said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三), who is accompanying Chen on the trip, said on Wednesday that Taiwan's participation in Panama's plan to widen the Panama Canal would be a boost to Taiwan's economy as well as ties between the two nations.

Lin made the comments while touring the Panama Canal with Chen.
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