Lien to attend IDU meet

KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) has been invited to take part in the eighth political leaders' conference of the International Democrat Union (IDU) slated to be held in Washington on Sunday. US President George W. Bush is scheduled to host a dinner at the White House on Monday in honor of the IDU conference's participants, which will include more than 40 political party leaders from 35 countries around the world. Bush is expected to talk to the delegates before the dinner on matters related to free markets and democracy development, according to a White House news release. Lien will be heading a five-member delegation to the annual IDU meeting and will deliver a speech at the event, IDU officials said. It will be the first time Lien has taken part in such a gathering.