The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning an international publicity campaign to raise support and concern in the international community for Taiwan's bid to re-enter the UN, ministry spokesman Michel Lu (
The UN General Assembly is scheduled to open Sept. 13 in New York.
Lu noted that President Chen Shui-bian (
Lu said last year's teleconference has borne fruit, but he didn't respond directly when asked if there would be a similar teleconference with the UNCA this year.
Lu said Taiwan will adopt a new strategy in promoting its bid to join the UN by presenting two cases for participation.
NEW STRATEGY
Under the new strategy, 14 of Taiwan's allies have put forward two proposals to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The first proposal urges the the General Assembly to affirm UN representation for the 23 million people of Taiwan. They have also requested the UN take an active role in safeguarding peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Lu noted that Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Lu said government agencies are now planning the details of the public relations campaign.
The spokesman said that the ministry will inform the international community about why it has to let Taiwan join the UN and why it is unfair to shut the country out of the body.
PEACE IN THE STRAIT
The ministry will also point out the importance to the UN members' own interests of the organization helping to safeguard peace in the Strait.
Lu said that the publicity campaign will be conducted through the country's overseas missions, the international media and the the General Assembly.
`HISTORY IS A MIRROR'
In other developments yesterday, commenting on Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's apology on Monday for atrocities committed by Japan during World War II, Lu said that he believes "history is a mirror which allows people to see clearly the consequences of a deed."
Koizumi's apology and his decision not to visit the controversial Yasukumi Shrine in Tokyo are moves with a "diplomatic meaning," Lu said.
He noted that Japan recovered quickly from its defeat in the ar and that it now makes great contributions to the world in politics, economics, technology and peace.
In the era of globalization, all countries should seek cooperation and partnerships with others, he said, adding that although the lessons of the past should always be kept in mind, people should still take a broad view of the future and make efforts to seek for common benefits.
He said Taiwan has been sparing no efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Strait region and it hopes for Japan's continued involvement and cooperation in the region's security and the maintenance of peace.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai