Chen sure of coalition at year-end

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on Wednesday -- the last day of his three-day stopover in the US -- formally declared that he would assemble a coalition government by "party-to-party" negotiations following the year-end legislative elections.

Chen said that the negotiations would relate to all positions in all five branches of the central government and not be restricted to the Cabinet alone.

"I believe that the DPP will become the biggest party but still not have an overall majority in the Legislative Yuan after the election," Chen said while meeting with scholars of US think tanks before leaving New York on Wednesday morning.

"A future coalition government should certainly be established by formal negotiation between the DPP and other parties," the president said. "But I think everyone knows that by then the division of legislative seats among Taiwan's political parties will be totally different from the current situation."

Chen is leading a delegation to Taiwan's five diplomatic allies in Latin America but made a three-day stopover in New York first. He received 22 scholars from Boston, Washington and New York at a breakfast meeting on Wednesday.

According to Eugene Chien (簡又新), the deputy secretary-general to the president, Chen discussed many important aspects of cross-strait policy and Taiwan's political situation with the scholars. He also commented positively on the US government's treatment of him and his delegation during their stopover.

"The scholars said that they were impressed by the confidence with which President Chen described Taiwan's future prospects and the friendly attitude which the president showed during the talks," Chien said yesterday.

Chen was forbidden by the US government to make any public speeches or to give media interviews during the stopover. Members of his delegation were also barred from making public comments.

Chien instead briefed the media about the breakfast meeting after the delegation arrived in El Salvador Wednesday evening.

As to the cross-strait issue, Chien quoted Chen as saying that the notion of "the future framework for political integration," which Chen offered to China during his "new century speech" on Dec. 31, was only a "concept" and that it should be regarded by either side of the Taiwan Strait as just one possible way forward, not the sole solution.

"The two sides of the Taiwan Strait still have not established a consensus on the `one China' issue," he said. "Some have said that there is a `1992 consensus: one China with each side having its own interpretation,' but each side still gives different explanations. A lot of time and discussion is needed for a consensus to be created."

Chen stressed that the government would never overthrow the agreements or achievements made by former KMT administrations with China, "and both sides can jointly discuss the question of a future one China on the foundations which have already been established."

Chien said that this basis did not include the so-called 1992 consensus, adding that Chen had clearly said that the two sides still disagree about whether any consensus had been reached during the 1992 negotiations.

Chen also said that Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基) and his campaign rivals had attacked him during last year's presidential election by saying that "a vote for Chen means a vote for war."