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US offer concerns Taiwan
LEFT OUT:The government said it was a major player in the
region, and its claim of sovereignty over the disputed islands could not be
ignored by the US, Japan and China
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporter
The Taiwanese government has expressed concern to the US regarding a recent
offer by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to mediate between Japan
and China on the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (³¨³½¥x), over which Taiwan also claims
sovereignty, a foreign affairs official said yesterday.
¡§We have let the US know that [Taiwan] is one of the countries claiming
sovereignty over the -Diaoyutai Islands and therefore the US ought to keep in
mind our claim and interests,¡¨ said Bruce Linghu (¥Oª°ºa¹F), director-general of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs¡¦ Department of North American Affairs.
Linghu made the remarks when asked to comment on Clinton¡¦s offer to host a
three-way meeting between the US, Japan and China to resolve the dispute between
Beijing and Tokyo over the islands in the East China Sea, which has led to
escalating tensions between the two Asian countries.
Without elaborating on how the US responded to Taiwan¡¦s concerns, Linghu said
the ministry would continue to observe subsequent actions taken or statements
made by the US on the matter.
¡§It¡¦s premature to say ... but, my thinking is that, for the moment, the US
wouldn¡¦t go so far as to come up with concrete or specific actions to carry out
mediation,¡¨ Linghu said.
Saying that Taiwan is also an important player in the region, Linghu added that
he believed Taiwan would not be left out of discussions that could lead to
solutions to the controversy.
The US government had made it clear that it does not take a position on who
controls the Diaoyutai Islands, and hoped that the countries claiming
sovereignty over the islands could seek a peaceful resolution of any
disagreements that they have, Linghu said.
¡§We are of the same opinion as the US in this regard,¡¨ he said.
Last week, a plan by the legislature¡¦s Internal Administration Committee to
inspect the contested islands, also known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, was
temporarily called off, with bad weather conditions cited as the primary
concern.
However, sources suggested that the real reason was that the pan-blue camp had
mobilized to cancel the trip to avert a possible crisis ahead of the Nov. 27
special municipality elections, especially because the consequences of such a
tour are unpredictable.
Sources said that top officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were ¡§scared
half to death¡¨ because a tour could directly jeopardize relations between Taiwan
and Japan.
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