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U.S. HAS NOT PROTESTED OVER PRESIDENT'S SPEECH: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

2006-01-10 20:52:30

    Taipei, Jan. 10 (CNA) The United States has not protested over President Chen Shui-bian's New Year address as some local media have claimed, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

    The official was responding to claims that Taipei sent a draft of the president's speech for preview by Washington officials and that Washington rejected the draft three times and requested Taipei to revise the speech. The reports also claimed that Washington protested over the content of the speech

    According to MOFA spokesman Michel Lu, the U.S. government has expressed concern over the plan for constitutional reforms and adjustment in cross-strait economic policy unveiled in the speech, but Washington has not protested to Taipei.

    Lu said the fact that the government consulted the United States before the speech was released shows that the channel of communication between the two sides is smooth.

    He said differences occurred in the process of the communication mainly because different countries have different national interests.

    For example, the United States was concerned about Taiwan's plan to hold a referendum against China's missile threat in 2004, but Washington later understood Taiwan's position after communication between the two sides, he said.

    He said MOFA will continue to communicate with Washington to try to resolve their doubts about Chen's New Year address.

    In his address, Chen renewed his proposal for the enactment of a new constitution that is timely, relevant and viable by 2008, saying he hopes a draft of the new constitution can be completed this year and that a referendum on the draft can be held in 2007.

    Also, Chen said the "active management, effective opening" policy on cross-strait economic activities will replace the existing one calling for "active opening, effective management" that has been in place since a consensus was reached in the 2001 Economic Development Advisory Conference, which he said means that the government must take the responsibility of managing in order to effectively lower the risks of liberalization.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/J