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MOFA TO CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH U.S. ON U.N. BID: OFFICIAL

ROC Central News Agency

2007-06-21 18:16:13

     Taipei, June 21 (CNA) Taiwan will continue to communicate with the United States on its plan to hold a referendum on the country's bid to join the United Nations, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Thursday.

    Hsueh Mei-yu, deputy director of the ministry's Department of North American Affairs, made the remarks after a U.S. State Department official reiterated Washington's opposition to the proposal. "The United States opposes any initiative that appears designed to change Taiwan's status unilaterally. This would include a referendum on whether to apply to the United Nations under the name of 'Taiwan, '" State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

    McCormack stressed that in line with its "one China" policy, the United States does not support Taiwan's membership in international organizations that require statehood, including the United Nations.

    Hsueh said that Taiwan and the United States have communicated on the issue for more than one year, and that they know each other's stance through various channels.

    She noted that President Chen Shui-bian declared several months ago that he would promote the bid to join the United Nations in the name of Taiwan, and that he conveyed this to several U.S. delegations during visits they made to Taiwan. "Taiwan has continued to communicate with the United States on the issue, and both sides are aware of the respective policies and stances," she added.

    However, she also claimed that the U.S. State Department official's remarks "may only be reiterating its firm stance," and she further claimed that the U.S. official use of the word "oppose" "might only be a tone to stress its firm stance."

    She said Taiwan and the United States are well aware that they have different viewpoints and predicted that "heated discussion will not affect the overall relations between the two sides."

    She also said Chen's plan to hold a referendum on the nation's U.N. bid is not an attempt to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, and does not run counter to his "four noes" pledge made in his 2000, and again in 2004 inaugural address.

(By Lilian Wu)

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