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BUSH CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT ON INAUGURATION

2004-05-20 22:57:12

    Taipei, May 20 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian received a congratulatory letter Thursday from U.S. President George W. Bush on his re-election victory and his inauguration for a second four-year term.

    Jim Leach, chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs of the House Committee on International Relations, who led the U.S. delegation that attended Chen's inauguration that day, delivered Bush's letter to Chen when he and his delegation were received by Chen at the Presidential Office.

    During the meeting, Leach hailed Chen's inauguration speech as an erudite and well-pondered one, and said he was deeply impressed with the president's determination to lead Taiwan down a "middle road" and to push for constitutional reform in the coming four years.

    Leach, who has been a congressman for 30 years and is one of Taiwan's most important foreign friends, reiterated that he will continue to help Taiwan's efforts to join various international organizations, including the World Health Organization.

    Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski, William Brown, acting chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and Douglas Paal, director of the AIT's Taipei Office, who were members of the U.S. delegation, echoed Leach's remarks and lauded Chen as a wise leader who delivered his inauguration speech in a responsible and rational way.

    The AIT is a quasi-official organization authorized by the U.S. government to deal with Taipei in the absence of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

    Chen extended a warm welcome to the delegation and said he is very happy that the U.S. government dispatched a high-level delegation to attend his inauguration. He added that all the members of the delegation are "Taiwan's best friends."

    Stressing that he attaches great importance to all goodwill proposals put forward by Bush, the Congress and various walks of life in the United States, Chen said he has taken into consideration opinions and expectations of everyone.

    He said that relations between Taiwan and mainland China, as well as a constitutional reform project, make up the bulk of his 5,000-word inauguration speech because they are closely related. He also expressed hope that everyone can have a better understanding of his new administration's policies on these two issues.

    The president promised to take more concrete steps in the coming four years to serve the common interests of Taiwan and the United States and to make greater contributions to the maintenance of peace in the Taiwan Strait, as well as maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Chen also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Bush, and the U.S. government and people, for their long-term support for the ROC's cause, especially for the U.S. health secretary's vote in favor of Taiwan's entry into the World Health Assembly as an observer during the recent annual meeting of the world health regulatory body. "With strong support from the United States, the people of Taiwan don't feel alone in their efforts to seek a seat in the WHO, " Chen said, adding that it is unfair for the 23 million people of Taiwan to be shut out of the international health system.

(By Luis Huang)

ENDITEM/J