Taipei yesterday welcomed the US' long-delayed appointment of Douglas Paal as its de facto ambassador to Taiwan, saying the move would enhance Taipei-Washington relations.
"Paal, with his abundant related work experience with the US government, is sure to advance and promote Taiwan-US relations after he arrives in Taiwan to take up his new post," a Presidential Office press release stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement yesterday.
"Our government believes that Paal would faithfully reflect the George W. Bush administration's current policy toward Taiwan so as to enhance bilateral ties based upon the existing sound foundation of mutual trust," the statement said.
The US government on Friday named Paal the head of the American Institute in Taiwan's (AIT) Taipei office, but the exact arrival date of Paal at Taipei is uncertain, sources said.
"Doug Paal himself would like to reach Taiwan by late April, but he may not be able to make it because of some preparatory work at home. It's certain, however, that he'll reach Taipei by mid-May," a high-ranking official in Taipei, who declined to be named, told the Taipei Times.
"After the spat of attacks by the `Blue Team,' I am sure he'll be on the alert in the future," the official added.
The `Blue Team' is a term sometimes used in Washington to refer to congressional conservatives.
Conservatives had long-argued that Paal was a dubious candidate for the post, raising questions about public statements he had made that seemed to lean toward China.
Shortly after Bush made a statement last year that the US would do "whatever it takes" to defend Taiwan, Paal told a Shanghai conference via audio hookup that Bush "misspoke."
Paal's critics also questioned the sources of funding for the Asia Pacific Policy Center, a think tank Paal founded in the early 1990s.
Since Paal's name began to float last summer for the AIT post, officials and scholars in Taipei have held mixed views toward Paal's appointment.
Some said his role as a veteran participant in "track two" diplomacy across the Taiwan Strait, through which he has maintained close ties with officials and scholars in Taipei and Beijing, could be conducive to his future work.
Lin Bih-jaw (林碧炤), political analyst at National Chengchi University, said Paal's arrival would boost Taipei-Washington relations.
"His involvement in the `track two' diplomacy across the Strait helped him establish various networks on both sides, and I am sure this will help with his future work in US policy enactment and implementation," Lin said.
In fact, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) once taught Paal when he studied Asian history at Brown University more than 30 years ago, and the two have since maintained a friendship, sources said.
Describing Paal as "practical and candid," Lin said Paal's involvement in previous US administrations would help Paal "have a clear grip of the formulation of US policy" toward Taiwan.
Some in the DPP government, however, still have reservations about Paal, though public revelation of those concerns has not been made for fear of damaging Taipei-Washington ties, government sources said.
Paal was special assistant to former US president George Bush for national security affairs and senior director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council, where he also served in the administration of former president Ronald Reagan.
Paal has worked in the US State Department with the Policy Planning Staff and as a senior analyst for the CIA. He has also served at the US embassies in Beijing and Singapore.
AIT has represented US interests in Taiwan since 1979 when Washington switched diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing.
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