Clarification statement written by van Baalen himself: MOFA

　The MOFA did not suggest to Hans van Baalen, the visiting vice chairman of the European Parliament (EP)-Taiwan Friendship Group, on what he should write in the statement.

　The ministry only released it under his own request, said James Lee, director-general of the MOFA's Department of European Affairs.

　Referring to van Baalen's statement, Lee said that van Baalen handed it to the ministry for release last Thursday, before he left Taiwan, after the ministry informed him about the news report that quoted him as making the remark.

　“We did not coerce him to write down the statement,” said Lee in response to questions raised by DPP lawmakers, who believe the MOFA had forced the visiting parliamentarian to write down or sign the statement.

　Lee also noted that during van Baalen's four-day visit from June 13-16, he met with President Ma Ying-jeou and later with the DPP's Tsai, wishing both parties good luck in the 2012 presidential elections.

　Lee made the comment in a press conference held by the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) in the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

　The remark came as a response to the Chinese-language Liberty Times report yesterday in which the paper quoted the parliamentarian as reiterating his stance that he would vote for Tsai Ing-wen if he were a Taiwanese citizen.

　“I will be responsible for my remark [on supporting Tsai], and I believe the MOFA should also be responsible for its remark as well,” the report quoted Van Baalen as saying.

　Van Baalen was previously quoted by the same newspaper on June 15 as making the same remark during a meeting with National Taiwan University students last week, referring to his support of the DPP chairwoman and 2012 presidential nominee.

　But he seems to backtrack from the quote in an open letter to the ministry.

　In the open letter released by the MOFA, van Baalen did not say he was misquoted, but he said he “paid his respects to the Democracy of Taiwan.”

　“The outcome of the presidential and parliamentary elections will be free and fair. Whoever wins, van Baalen will be, in the first place, a friend of Taiwan,” the letter read.

During yesterday's press conference, KMT caucus whip Hsieh Kuo-liang said it is an important principle in international politics that one should never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

“If he [van Baalen] really wants to show support to Tsai, he should first become a Taiwanese national,” Hsieh added.

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