Thousands turn out in Gambia to greet Taiwanese president August 20, 2000 Web posted at: 2:35 PM EDT (1835 GMT) BANJUL, Gambia (Reuters) -- Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian arrived in the tiny West African state of Gambia on Sunday, the first stop on a three-nation African tour aimed at raising Taiwan's diplomatic profile. Witnesses said Chen was greeted at the airport by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, and thousands of people lined the 27-kilometer (17-mile) route from the airport to the capital, Banjul. Chen, whose first overseas trip since taking office in May has already taken him to Central America, will visit Burkina Faso and Chad before returning home on August 25. Chen, heading a 250-strong delegation including Economic Affairs Minister Lin Hsin-i, businessmen and journalists, spelled out his message before leaving on his six-nation tour on August 13, saying: "Taiwan must go out into the world." Chen took office in May after winning elections in March, breaking the grip of the Nationalists who fought and lost a civil war with the Communists on the mainland in 1949. Decades of rivalry followed the war. The People's Republic of China dismisses the Republic of China, as the island of Taiwan is officially known, as a renegade province. Taiwan's supporters -- only 29 countries officially recognize it -- are for the most part impoverished nations in Africa, the Pacific and Central America. For the eighth year in succession, a group of mainly African, Caribbean and Pacific countries have called on the U.N. General Assembly to consider admitting Taiwan as a member. China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has successfully squashed the move at the start of each session of the assembly, which this year opens on September 5. China woos Taiwan's allies Gambia, neighbor Senegal and Burkina Faso are among the countries that sponsored the call this year. But China, which accuses Taiwan of buying diplomatic support, has invited eight of the island's allies in Africa to a forum in its capital Beijing in October. Gambia established diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1995, a year after President Yahya Jammeh came to power in a coup. The country of just over one million is in the grip of a electricity crisis that stretches back to 1977, and Taiwanese experts have been studying the problem. Financial sources say Taiwan has pumped more than $35 million into the Gambian economy, particularly into the health sector, as well as building an airport and a triumphal arch. In Chad, which established diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1997, government sources say Taipei has granted aid worth $128 million in areas such as health, education, water projects and road building. Gambia's neighbor Senegal is probably the most important of the eight African countries that recognize Taiwan. Diplomats say Chen wanted to visit but President Abdoulaye Wade, elected in March, responded with a diplomatic "No" -- saying the government was on holiday. Taiwan's other African supporters are Liberia and Sao Tome in the west and Malawi and Swaziland in the south. The Central American leg of Chen's tour took him to the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. He travels to Burkina Faso on Monday and then to Chad on Wednesday. Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ====================================================================== Abdoulie A. Jallow Toll-free number: 1-888-392-4832(Excite2) Personal extension for v/mail/fax: 291-368-1519 _______________________________________________________ Say Bye to Slow Internet! http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------