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KMT unlikely to back DPP's U.N. referendum: Ma

ROC Central News Agency

2008-01-23 20:39:06

    Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) Main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou has said that he and the KMT will not support the U.N. referendum proposed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) given world criticism of the referendum as a move to push for formal independence.

    Ma made the remarks in an interview with the CNA Tuesday after his rival, DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh, proposed that both the DPP and the KMT support each other's U.N.-bid referendum, to be held alongside the March 22 presidential elections, as the failure of the referendums will be detrimental to Taiwan.

    Claiming that the DPP referendum is widely seen as "the first step towards de jure Taiwan independence, " Ma said, "we do not support the DPP referendum" as it has triggered concern from the U.S. government.

    If Taiwan wants to continue to seek help from the United States, it should not take any further moves to undermine mutual trust, he went on.

    Speaking on whether the U.S. government supports the KMT's referendum, Ma noted that the U.S. voiced no concerns over it because that was what the Taiwan government had done in the past until 2007.

    Ma said that starting in 1993 when the KMT was in power, the government promoted the country's quest to return to the United Nations under the country's official title, the Republic of China, after the country's U.N. seat was replaced by the People's Republic of China in 1971.

    The KMT-initiated referendum proposes that the country return to the world body under the country's official title, or any other name, including Taiwan, that can help the country gain U.N. membership.

    By contrast, the DPP referendum only supports using the name "Taiwan" as the DPP contends that the country needs a different strategy given the failure of the country's previous 14 annual U.N. bids launched under its official name.

    Asked if the failure to pass both referendums would result in the international community misunderstanding that Taiwan has no intention of joining the U.N., Ma responded that it would not because a new U.N. referendum can be initiated three years later.

    Meanwhile, commenting on Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei's proposal that the two referendums not be held in sync with the upcoming presidential elections, Ma said that it is up to the Central Election Commission to make the final decision.

    In addition, he dismissed the possibility of holding talks with Hsieh over issues concerning the two referendums, saying that "it is not yet an issue."

(By T.C. Jiang)

ENDITEM/jnc