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Seventeen allies accept invitation to inauguration

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced that 17 heads of states and high-ranking leaders from the nation’s allies would attend the May 20 inauguration of president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the highest number of foreign dignitaries ever to attend the ceremony.

The 17 leaders include the king of Swaziland, the presidents of Honduras, Paraguay, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Palau, Burkina Faso, San Tome and Principe and El Salvador and the vice presidents of Guatemala, Gambia and Nicaragua.

The Solomon Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent will send their governors-general, while the prime ministers of Tuvalu and Belize also plan to attend.

Leaders of the nation’s other allies have said they will not be able to attend and have expressed their regret, promising to visit in the near future, the ministry said.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Yang Tzu-pao (楊子葆) said the nation’s only European ally, the Vatican, would follow its usual protocol, sending an ambassador stationed in a nearby country to the ceremony.

All 23 of the nation’s allies have officially congratulated Ma on his victory, he said.

The deputy minister, however, was unable to divulge any details on representatives from non-allies, such as the US, Japan and the EU, except to say that the envoys would most likely be retired ranking officials.

Ma arrived at the ministry in the morning, accompanied by vice president-elect Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), his top aide Su Chi (蘇起) and former diplomat John Feng (馮寄台).

After the two-hour briefing, Ma declined to discuss the meeting.

“The discussions were confidential,” Ma said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) briefed Ma on the nation’s diplomatic efforts yesterday and assured Ma that ties with the allies remained stable ahead of his inauguration.

Huang said that Ma expressed his concern over the nation’s diplomatic situation and said he expected to strengthen ties with diplomatic allies after he takes office.

Regarding the inauguration ceremony, Huang said the ministry had been discussing the guests and their reception with Ma’s office for the past three weeks.

The ministry will be in touch with the guests and help ensure a successful inauguration ceremony, he said.

Ma has said he hopes to have a simple and inexpensive inauguration ceremony.

The Presidential Office has budgeted NT$90 million (US$ 2.9 million) for the ceremony.

Ma spokesman Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said Ma would ask diplomatic allies to cut the number of representatives they send to the ceremony, adding that Ma would not arrange presidential suites for the guests.

Ma will invite guests from the US and Japan personally, rather than through the ministry, as Ma and Siew have personal contacts with both countries, Luo said.
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