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PRESIDENT TO HEAR NSC REPORT ON ABOLISHING NUC

ROC Central News Agency

2006-02-26 19:02:53

    Taipei, Feb. 26 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian will call a National Security Council meeting Monday, during which he will hear a report on abolishing the National Unification Council (NUC) and National Unification Guidelines (NUG) , NSC Secretary-General Chiou I-jen said Sunday.

    As to whether Chen will announce doing away with what he has called the "anachronistic" NUC and "outdated" NUG after hearing the report, Chiou said it will be the president's own decision.

    There have been media reports that Chen will make the controversial announcement Feb. 28, which is Peace Memorial Day.

    In response to Chiou's statement, the opposition "pan blue alliance" of the Kuomintang (KMT) and People First Party (PFP), plus Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, which together enjoy a majority at the legislature, threatened that they will escalate their pressure on the president not to do so.

    Tseng Yung-chuan, executive director of the KMT Central Policy Committee, and Pan Wek-kang, secretary-general of the KMT legislative caucus, said the opposition's strategy will be "different from what they had indicated earlier, " including calling for an indefinite suspension of the legislative meeting and kicking off a recall-the-president campaign.

    Neither Tseng nor Pan would confirm if their new strategy will include taking to the streets in protest and boycotting an interpellation session for Premier Su Tseng-chang at the Legislative Yuan. "The president will have to take the full responsibility for the consequences of his actions if he insists on going ahead with his expressed intention to abolish the NUC and NUG in disregard of the the mainstream view and the opposition warning," they said.

    The "pan blue alliance" had earlier called on the president to "rein in his horse at the edge of the cliff" instead of "leading the country into the abyss." They also warned that they will take "all possible actions" to counter Chen's decision to do away with the NUC and NUG.

    Ko Chien-ming, convener of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) legislative caucus, said his caucus will fully support the president if he decides to get rid of the "unnecessary" NUC and NUG, which commits Taiwan to eventual unification with China.

    Ko's opposition pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) counterpart, Huang Shih-chuo, urged the president to abolish the NUC and UNG "as soon as possible, in spite of the mounting pressure from the United States."

    Taiwan's strategic position is in the interests of the U.S., which will not abandon Taiwan because of the NUG controversy, Huang speculated.

(By S.C. Chang)

ENDITEM/J