REFERENDUM TO BE SCRAPPED IF BEIJING WITHDRAWS MISSILES: PRESIDENT
2003-12-17 19:57:14
Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said in a recent interview with the Financial Times that if mainland China agrees to withdraw missiles aimed at Taiwan and renounces the use of force against Taiwan, a referendum planned for March 20 can be canceled.
But he also stressed that if the mainland test fires missiles in the runup to the presidential election set for March 20, then it will be regarded as "provocation" and Taiwan will not rule out any possibilities, including a change of the content of the referendum. The interview was conducted on Wednesday.
Chen plans to hold a "defensive referendum" March 20 to coincide with the election, to gauge public opinion as to whether the government should demand that Beijing withdraw 496 missiles targeting Taiwan and renounce the use of force against the country.
Asked whether the referendum will go ahead even if the United States is opposed to the idea, Chen described the referendum as a "universal value " and "a basic human right," and he asked why the 23 million people of Taiwan should be deprived of this right.
The president reaffirmed that he does not want the referendum to raise the issue of sovereignty because of the "four noes plus one" that he pledged in his 2000 inaugural speech.
But he said the one precondition of the "four noes plus one" is that Beijing must not use force against Taiwan. If they use force against Taiwan, "then the pledges will no longer be valid. We do not want to see this happen, " Chen said.
Chen's "four noes plus one" pledge is no declaration of independence; no change in the country's national title; no inclusion of the "state-to-state" description in the Constitution; no promotion of referendum to change the status quo; and no abolishment of the National Unification Council.
Asked of Taipei's reaction if Beijing test-fires missiles during the election period, the president said that it will be seen as clearly "an attack" by the mainland.
On the triangular relations between Taipei, Beijing and Washington, he said that after the meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and mainland Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the United States last week, the White House spokesman said that U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged and went out of his way to say that Bush told Wen during the meeting that if Beijing uses force or coercion against Taiwan, "we'll be there."
Chen noted that Bush said in October 2001 that the United States
will do "whatever it takes" to help Taiwan defend itself, and that
he said during his meeting with Wen that he does not approve of
either side of the Taiwan Strait unilaterally changing the status
quo.
Chen reaffirmed that he has no intention of changing Taiwan's status quo, but in fact wants to defend and maintain the status quo, a point upon which both he and Bush are in agreement.
He also said he would like to see improved relations between the United States and the mainland, but does not want to see Taiwan's interests used as leverage or the improved ties coming at Taiwan's expense. He noted that the United States has promised that this will not be the case.
Touching on cross-strait relations, Chen said that polls have shown that "Taiwan consciousness" is rising and that the ratio of those who describe themselves as Taiwanese rather than Chinese has surpassed 50 percent, while the number of those who support independence has also increased.
Even though cross-strait trade will become even brisker as the the two sides drift further apart politically, the phenomenon will not be contradictory, he said.
Chen stressed that if the mainland continues to increase its missile deployment, it will only drive Taiwan further away and incite antagonism from the Taiwan people who view the mainland as a "hostile country."
He expressed the hope that Beijing's leaders will listen to the 23 million people of Taiwan and not listen only to what they want to hear in Beijing's power center of Zhongnanhai.
(By Lilian Wu)
ENDITEM/J
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