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Taiwan urges U.S. not to overreact to U.N. bid referendum

ROC Central News Agency

2007-12-22 13:25:08

    Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) The United States should not overreact to Taiwan's planned referendum on applying to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs James Huang said Saturday.

    Huang said the U.S. government should trust that the Taiwan people have the wisdom and ability to deal with issues such as referendums and cross-Taiwan Strait relations properly. "I hope the United States will listen to the voices of the Taiwan people and try to get a better understanding of the actual situation, " Huang said. "The matter could become even more complicated if the United States overreacts to it."

    Huang made the remarks upon his return to Taiwan from a Central America visit, in response to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement Friday in which she reiterated Washington's objections to the referendum.

    Calling the referendum a "provocative policy, " Rice said during a news conference held in Washington, D.C. that the referendum unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait and promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage.

    Her statement follows similar remarks made over the past few months by several other lower-level U.S. officials, including including Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Tom Christensen, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt.

    Also commenting on Rice's statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs acting spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh said the referendum has obviously been "stigmatized."

    Yeh clarified that the referendum is aimed at allowing the Taiwan people to exercise their democratic rights to express their desire to join the United Nations, adding that the referendum does not involve changing the country's official name, changing the status quo or seeking so-called "de jure independence."

    Yeh said the deepening of Taiwan's democracy and the establishment of the Taiwanese identity are common assets of Taiwan and the United States and are helpful to maintaining regional peace and stability.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/Li