President Ma Ying-jeou will make layover stops in Los Angeles and San Fransico on his first state visit to and from Paraguay and the Dominican Republic Aug. 12-19, Foreign Minister Francisco H.L. Ou announced yesterday.

"The mission of President Ma's trip is simple and he will not visit other countries," said Ou, who stressed that the president will attend the inaugurations of Paraguayan President-elect Fernando Lugo and Dominican Republic President-elect Leonel Fernandez, slated for Aug. 15 and 16, respectively.

Ma Ying-jeou will stop overnight in Los Angeles on his way to Paraguay, but won't spend the night in San Francisco on his return trip, he explained.

"The motive for Ma stopping over in Los Angeles and San Francisco is simple and is based on the convenience of the transit stops," he said.

Ou further claimed that Ma will board regular China Airlines flights from Taiwan to L.A. and from San Francisco back to Taipei -- an unprecedented decision for the president on a state visit that could save the nation's coffers up to US$1 million. The president will reportedly travel on to Paraguay and the Dominican Republic on charter flights.

Lugo has said many times that he wants to switch diplomatic recognition to China, giving rise to speculation that Taiwan might lose its only diplomatic ally in South America.