The US government has officially approved President Chen Shui-bian's (
The department said in a statement that it is handling Chen's transit based on the criteria of the president's safety, comfort and convenience, while respecting the dignity of the president.
The president will leave on his visit to the South Pacific today. His first stop will be Palau, where he will attend a leadership summit between Taiwan and its diplomatic allies in the South Pacific, before heading on Tuesday to Nauru, where he will address parliament.
The Presidential Office has announced that Chen will fly on "Air Force One" on the first leg of his visit to Palau, but that he and his entourage will then fly on charter China Airlines passenger jets from Palau to Nauru and back to Taipei through Guam due to the small size of Nauru's airport.
The delegation will make a four-to-five-hour stopover in Guam.
The US Department of State said that American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt will greet Chen in Guam.
The US government understands that Chen's transit stop will be of a private, unofficial nature and that there will not be any public or media activities during his stop in Guam, the department said.
Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (
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