Fri, Apr 18, 2003 page3

• Italian representative reflects on Taipei tour

  Alberto Galluccio, outgoing representative of the Italian Economic and Cultural Promotion Office, received the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy from the government yesterday, as he wraps up a three-year stay in Taipei before taking up a post as the first counselor in the Italian Embassy in the US. Galluccio talked with `Taipei Times' staff reporter Monique Chu about cemented bilateral ties, Taiwan's WHO bid and the EU's de facto visa ban on top Taiwanese officials

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  Taipei Times: To what extent do you think bilateral ties have grown during your tenure as Italy's top representative to Taiwan?

  Alberto Galluccio: I consider they may have improved for two reasons. One reason is that there was a change of government in Italy, and the new government under Premier [Silvio] Berlusconi and his extreme right party have been very sympathetic to Taiwan's case for a long time ... This may be reflected from the fact that the number of Italian parliamentarians in the [Taiwan-Italy] inter-parliamentarian group has grown a lot, to over 160 members.

  

  Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien, right, toasts the outgoing representative of the Italian Economic and Cultural Promotion Office, Alberto Galluccio, following a ceremony yesterday where Galluccio received the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy for his contribution to bilateral relations between Italy and Taiwan.

  PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

  On my level ... on the economic side, Taiwan's economy has not been doing well for the past three years ... but it remains our seventh [largest] Asian market. We sell more here than we sell in India. Our trade exchanges, apart from this figure of US$2.5 billion [total trade volume last year], is mainly done by very small operations.

  The second element is services. Here, we provide visas. During my tenure, I was able to increase visas from around 23,000 per year to 38,000 now ... We can give a visa in 24 hours ... The other thing I am very proud of is before, other consular services [apart from visa services] were performed by our embassy in Manila. So we were just like a mailbox ... I was able to be delegated the power to do all the consular functions with relevance to Italy.

  TT: How about the mutual recognition of driving licenses by the two countries?

  Galluccio: That was started by my predecessor six years ago. This has been achieved through two unilateral acts, one from your Ministry of Transportation and Communications and one from ours.

  TT: Germany is now working with Taiwan to forge an avoidance of double taxation agreement. What's happening on this front with Italy?

  Galluccio: I know that, already, Taiwan signed an agreement with the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands. Those three cases didn't need to go to parliament. Germany has a lot of investments here, so there's a big push on the part of their corporations.

  The problem, as far as I can see as an Italian, is that under our law if you make a double taxation agreement, it has to go to the parliament ... Technically, it's possible, but there must be the political will.

  TT: EU member states have followed a de facto visa ban policy with regard to the issuance of visas to high-ranking officials from Taiwan. To what extent do you think this ban will be lifted?

  Galluccio: The reason for this policy is that once we recognized the PRC and we recognized the `one China' policy, then visits by prominent Taiwanese who embodied the idea of sovereignty contradicted our own ... `one China' policy.

  What I'm trying to say is that consenting to Taiwan's leaders having official contact is not only in their interests [so that they can personally present their ideas], but it is also in our interests. Without official contact or having contact only through diplomats in unofficial positions, like me or my colleagues in Rome, may not be so effective.

  I believe that in a way if this visit policy is conducted not under the media spotlight but is done discreetly, it might be to everyone's advantage ... That is to say, no official visits, always private visits and if attention is not given [to these visits], then they may be conducive, because dialogue is always conducive to better security.

  If this is clear, then these visits do not mean anything on the statehood question. They are just used to give visibility to the problem ... But if the visits are really used to have contact, then discretion and a low-profile [manner] are paramount.

  TT: Last year, Spain and France voiced their opposition to Taiwan's WHO bid. Do you think the Europeans' stance is going to change this year?

  Galluccio: I'd like to respond to this question in my personal capacity.

  Last year, Taiwan for the first time asked to be a `health entity' in its WHO bid, which is an improvement. In my country and other European countries, our preference would be that Taiwan show that its WHO bid is not instrumental for the sovereignty issue, but is to fulfill one of the goals of the WHO, which is to ensure all people of the world the highest level of health.

  SARS demonstrates that even ... the US CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] came to Taiwan's to help. The position I believe is more favored is for Taiwan to participate as an NGO ... If we give the green light saying that we do not oppose, and if something like this is done and is sold in Beijing, we might be supportive.

  But this is my personal opinion. If the real goal is there, a solution should be found. In this case it's correct to say that it's scandalous and it's a shame that Taiwan can't contribute to the health community and still Taiwan may be vulnerable and may benefit from this global health networking. So why not give Taiwan a chance?
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