Note: Recasts earlier story with comments from France's representative office in Taiwan
Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) The French Institute in Taipei (FIT), which is the French government's representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official bilateral diplomatic ties, said Thursday that France is not opposed to Taiwan's inclusion in the Schengen visa-waiver program, which would allow Taiwanese citizens visa-free entry to the EU.
The (Schengen visa-waiver) program, which is now in the midst of a screening process in the EU, involves a negotiation between the EU and Taiwan, not between France and Taiwan, the FIT said.
The institute was responding to an issue raised by Legislator Lin Yu-fang, who said in the Legislative Yuan earlier in the day that France has expressed its hope for Taiwan to make concessions on the Lafayette dispute in exchange for French support for Taiwan's visa-exemption in 28 European countries.
The International Court of Arbitration ruled May 3 to order contractors Thales and the French government to pay a penalty of more than US$591 million to Taiwan for paying commissions on the sale of six Lafayette-class frigates to the country's Navy in 1991, in violation of the contract on the deal.
Lin questioned whether France had used its position in the screening process of the visa-waiver program in the European Parliament as retaliation over Taiwan's refusal to accept an offer for an out-of-court settlement on the Lafayette dispute.
He also suggested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) should collaborate with the Ministry of National Defense (MND) on the matter.
The Lafayette court case was launched in 2001 by Taiwan's Navy to investigate claims that much of the US$2.8 billion paid for the warships were for commissions to middlemen, politicians and military officers in Taiwan, China and France, in violation of the procurement contract.
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang told the legislature Thursday that France has not attempted to use the Lafayette frigate dispute to interfere with Taiwan's efforts to be included in the European Union's (EU's) list of countries whose citizens can enter the EU visa free.
"France did express concerns over the percentage of e-passports (electronic passports with fingerprint data) among all Taiwan-issued passports, but it did not formally make additional requirements in Taiwan's Schengen visa-free program, " Yang said in a session of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
France did not raise the issue again at the European Parliament's Visa Working Group (VWG) meeting Sept. 15, he added. (By Chris Wang) enditem/cs