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PRESIDENTIAL AIDE AGAIN SCOTCHES `TROOPS TO IRAQ' RUMORS

2004-06-03 22:22:02

    Taipei, June 3 (CNA) There is no question of Taiwan sending troops to Iraq, an aide to the president reiterated Thursday.

    The United States has never asked Taiwan and Taiwan has never offered to contribute troops to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, Chen Wen-tsung, the deputy chief of the department for public affairs under the Presidential Office, said Thursday.

    Chen said U.S. Representative Steve Chabot, who is a co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, told President Chen Shui-bian while paying him a courtesy call that a resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives urging President George Bush to ask Taiwan to provide troops to the U.S. operation in Iraq was merely an idea dreamed up by Dana Rohrabacher, a co-chair of Congressional Taiwan Caucus, and not an idea of the caucus.

    Chen Wen-tsung made the remarks after Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly said earlier in the day in Washington that the United States will not ask Taiwan to provide troops due to the concerns that such a request could raise tensions in East Asia.

(By Maubo Chang)

ENDITEM/J