US Congress presses for Chen visit

[dArKeR]

By Charles Snyder
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Friday, Apr 23, 2004,Page 3

Several congressmen urged the George W. Bush administration to allow visits to Washington by President Chen Shui-bian (???) and other top Taiwanese leaders Wednesday, but received a cool response from Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia James Kelly.

The congressmen, members of the House International Relations Committee, made their pitches during a hearing on the 25th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.

Leading the charge was Tom Lantos of California, the committee's ranking Democrat.

"I, for the life of me, cannot understand the continued insistence of this administration on truly absurd diplomatic policies such as denying the president of Taiwan the right to visit Washington, DC, the right to meet with members of Congress here in our nation's capital," he said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/04/23/2003137734