• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

U.N. bid referendum to let people refuse unification: President

ROC Central News Agency

2007-12-05 18:09:12

    Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian has said Wednesday that a planned referendum on the government's bid to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan will allow the public to express their opposition to unification with China.

    Chen made the remarks when he received American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) former Chairman Richard Bush at the Presidential Office Tuesday.

    The remarks were in response to a speech delivered a day earlier by Stephen Young, director of the AIT Taipei Office, who said the government's U.N. bid is "unnecessary and unhelpful."

    Chen noted that China brought up a new interpretation of its "one China" policy. The new policy sees Taiwan as part of the People's Republic of China, while under the previous interpretation, Taiwan was taken as part of a "cultural China" that does not necessarily equate with the PRC.

    Chen said Taiwan's future has to be decided by its people. Asking Taiwan people to accept eventual unification would violate the principle that the nation's power rests with the public, he said.

    Joining the United Nations under the name Taiwan does not violate his "four noes" pledges, Chen went on. In addition, it does not involve changing the status quo between two sides of Taiwan Strait or the nation's official name, Chen added, noting that about 80 of the United Nations' 192 member countries joined the world body under unofficial names.

    He said the government proposed the bid to join the United Nations to meet the Taiwan people's expectations.

    He added that the results of a survey show that 55 percent of Americans support Taiwan's participation in the United Nations and said the percentage will increase to 70 percent if the referendum is successful.

    Japanese support will increase from the present 74 percent to 81 percent under the same situation, Chen said, citing other survey results.

(By Ruth Wang)

ENDITEM/J