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PRESIDENT CALLS FOR SETUP OF CROSS-STRAIT PERMANENT PEACE MECHANISM

ROC Central News Agency

2005-09-25 16:10:10

    Santo Domingo, Sept. 24 (CNA) Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian called on both sides of the Taiwan Strait Saturday to jointly seek an interaction mechanism aimed at stepping up cross-strait permanent peace.

    Chen made the appeal while speaking at a dinner hosted by the Taiwanese expatriate community in the Dominican Republic after his arrival in the Caribbean state for a three-day state visit.

    Stressing that Taiwan is part of the world but not part of the People's Republic of China, Chen said that as a democratically elected president, he will to his utmost to safeguard national sovereignty, security and dignity while seeking the nation's sustainable development and cross-strait peace.

    To achieve the goal, Chen said he has been seeking a mechanism aimed at boosting cross-strait co-existence, co-prosperity and permanent peace based upon the principles of equality and reciprocity.

    He voiced the hope that the leaderships on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will join hands to promote the early establishment of such a mechanism through goodwill, reconciliation and cooperation.

    Meanwhile, Chen also urged ruling and opposition party leaders to meet with him as soon possible to exchange views on how to step up Taiwan's stability and progress. "I hope that the ruling and opposition parties will follow the example of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in putting public welfare before individual or party interests," Chen said.

    The coalition government led by Koizumi, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, won overwhelmingly in recent elections of the House of Representatives, Chen noted. As the House of Councillors vetoed a major postal reform project put forward by his Cabinet, Koizumi dissolved the lower house, risking his own political life, Chen went on.

    The Dominican Republic is the second leg of Chen's Central American and Caribbean diplomatic tour, which will also take him to Nicaragua, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Prior to his arrival in Santo Domingo, Chen visited Guatemala, where he signed a free trade agreement with his Guatemala counterpart Oscar Berger Perdomo to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

    Chen is scheduled to arrive in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua Monday to attend a summit meeting with his counterparts from five of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Central America -- Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica -- in addition to top leaders from Belize, Panama and the Dominican Republic, as well as the secretary-general of the System of Central American Integration.

    During the summit meeting, which is held alternately in Taiwan and Central America every two years, Chen and his Latin American counterparts will discuss various multilateral cooperation projects and exchange views on the current international situation.

(By S.J. Tsai and Luis Huang)

ENDITEM/J