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Taiwan capable of handling planned U.N. referendum properly: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

2007-12-20 19:03:16

    Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang called for the United States Thursday to "trust in the wisdom" of the Taiwan people, saying they are capable of properly handling a planned referendum on applying to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan.

    Huang, who is visiting the United States, made the remarks in a telephone interview with CNA.

    His words came as the Taipei-based China Times reported that a high-ranking U.S. official, possibly Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, might again reiterate U.S. opposition to Taiwan's referendum on U.N. membership on Christmas Eve.

    Earlier this month, Thomas Christensen, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, described the planned referendum as "unwise."

    MOFA officials noted that the usually well-informed Nielsen Report recently reported that China has pressured the United States to reiterate its stance on Taiwan's planned referendum again, and that either President George W. Bush or Rice could voice the opposition. But they said Taiwan was informed of similar messages prior to the reports.

    Huang, in the CNA interview in New York, refused to comment on "speculative reports."

    He said that whether in Taiwan or in the United States, he has conveyed Taiwan's stance and that "no matter what level of U.S. official comments on the issue, the stance will not change."

    Huang, who is in New York to meet with members of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, said communications with U.S. opinion leaders on Taiwan's planned referendum will enhance their understanding of Taiwan's stance.

    Huang is scheduled to return to Taiwan Friday.

    China and the United States have expressed concern that the planned referendum could be a step toward de jure Taiwan independence and a violation of President Chen

Shui-bian's "four noes" pledge, which includes no referendum on the nation's status quo.

    But Chen has said that the planned referendum is a movement from the grassroots and that he cannot buck the trend.

    On widespread international opinion that the U.N. bid might change the cross-Taiwan Strait status quo, Chen said the status quo is that Taiwan is a sovereign state and that its sovereignty lies with the people.

    Taiwan is not part of China, nor is it a province of China, and this fact is now more clear to the international community, according to Chen.

(By Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J