Statement to VIII UNPO General Assembly

By Hon. Hans van Baalen

Member of Parliament in the Netherlands

Deputy President Liberal International

27 October 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

It is a pleasure to address the General Assembly of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), in Taipei.

I believe that all people deserve respect, whether they live in official recognised states, whether they have their own states or live and share the state with another people. People are entitled to respect, freedom and democracy and the recognition of their own language and UNPO is fighting for that. Liberal International and also the Dutch Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy want to pay credit to the efforts of UNPO. 

I would also like to say something about Taiwan. Taiwan is a free nation, people can freely breathe the air in Taiwan, it’s a democracy, it’s a country with respect, due process. It is an example for mainland China.

I hope that one day all Chinese can, like the Taiwanese, breathe the air, the spirit of freedom, without any problem. I also hope that the Chinese then respect the Tibetans, respect the people who live there, respect their beliefs, their sentiments and do not shoot them at border crossings. I would like to wish you a very productive General Assembly. 

I hope that President Chen Shui-bian, who is respected in the Netherlands by my party, by Liberal International, can have an important say in your conference because he deserves it, he is a man of freedom.

I wish you all the best. I am campaigning for my seat in Parliament in the Netherlands these days so I can not join you in Taipei but I hope to join you in your next General Assembly.

Thank you very much.