60% referendum votes for independence to bring recognition: DPP head
ROC Central News Agency
2007-09-01 19:43:52
Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun said Saturday that if over 60 percent of Taiwanese people vote for Taiwan independence in a referendum regarding sovereignty issues, it would be easier for international society to recognize Taiwan as a nation.
Yu made the remarks at the 2007 Women Power camp held by the DPP in response to a statement by Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Affairs at the National Security Council of the United States, who said that "Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is not at this point a state in the international community" while criticising Taiwan's move to hold a referendum on U.N. membership.
Yu said the time for holding the referendum on unification or independence is not ripe yet, but added that a referendum on Taiwan's U.N. membership is an important step to let Taiwanese people become more familiar with making important decisions through the electoral system before moving on to holding a referendum on sovereignty issues.
More than 60 percent of votes for DPP candidates in the 2008 presidential and legislative elections would also mark the public's support for Taiwan independence and would have the same influence as majority votes in a referendum regarding sovereignty issue on changing international opinion, according to Yu.
He noted that the United States previously planned to discuss making changes on its "one China" policy, but the plan was canceled due to the DPP only winning a margin of a little over 20,000 votes against the opposition Kuomintang in the 2004 presidential election.
Yu said Taiwan is "a nation for sure" and that the government should keep working on promoting referendums that would play an important part in deciding Taiwan's future.
(By Ruth Wang)
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