Honduran leader to visit

Honduran President Ricardo Maduro received the visiting Taiwanese minister of foreign affairs Monday and accepted an invitation from President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to visit Taiwan in September. Minister Eugene Chien (簡又新) said that the Republic of China is willing to continue its assistance to Honduras in the areas of social security, education, health and hygiene, agricultural development, and small-scale agricultural loans. The minister stressed that the government's offer of aid to the new Honduran administration will not be short-lived. Rather, he continued, Taiwan is prepared to propose a four-year plan to assist Honduras and provide its experiences in economic and social development for that country's reference.