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AIT chairman's remarks aim at placating China: sources

ROC Central News Agency

2007-12-11 19:03:12

    Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) American Institute in Taipei Chairman Raymond Burghardt's latest remarks were aimed at placating China, sources at the Presidential Office said Tuesday.

    The sources were responding to Burghardt's remarks at a news conference prior to his departure earlier the same day after a short visit to Taiwan during which he said Taiwan's U.N. referendum causes trouble.

    The top U.S. liaison official in the absence of diplomatic ties also said the referendum on applying to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan is a "clever way" of not violating the pledges that President Chen Shui-bian had made by going through the "backdoor", but the United States still interprets it as a violation of those pledges.

    Lee Nan-yang, director of the Department of Public Affairs of the Presidential Office, refused to comment on Burghardt's remarks.

    Yang said President Chen exchanged views with Burghardt Monday on issues of mutual concerns, and there is no need to respond to Burghardt's latest remarks.

    But Presidential Office sources said that Burghardt's remarks were aimed at placating China, saying that its message is "to ask China to exercise self-restraint" and "to let the United States do the talking.'

    Burghardt's remarks were also aimed at letting the people of Taiwan know the stance of the U.S., and "to see if it will drive down the turnout rate, " the sources said, adding that Burghardt said that the results of the referendum will not change Washington's one-China policy, even though Chen has said passage of the referendum would prove the policy wrong.

    The sources said that the planned referendum will not be dropped, noting that President Chen, in an interview with the Associated Press Monday, said that holding the referendum is aimed more at "domestic factors, " and that he believes it will galvanize the public to forge a national consensus on pursuing U.N. membership under the name Taiwan.

(By Lilian Wu)

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