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Government distances itself from ad

The recent advertisement placed by Senior Adviser to the President Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) in US and Taiwanese newspapers had nothing to do with the government, a Presidential Office official said yesterday.

Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidential Office James Huang (黃志芳) said Koo's ads "do not represent the government's stance" and that "the Presidential Office had no prior knowledge of them."

Huang made the remarks yesterday in response to media queries about Koo's full-page advertisements, which appeared in Monday's Washington Post, the New York Times and the Taipei Times on Tuesday.

The 2,000-word advertisement, entitled "US adherence to one China policy only benefits communist dictators: Let Taiwan speak out for a lasting peace," urges the US government to face political reality concerning Taiwan and to reassess its "one China" policy.

In the ads, Koo said the US "one China" policy, based on the 1972 Shanghai Communique, no longer fits the political realities in Taiwan and said that he hopes the US government can reassess its "one China" policy in view of Taiwan's changing public opinions.

In the ads, the statement concluded with Koo's signature, and included his title as senior presidential adviser.

Huang also spoke about media reports that said US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs Randall Shriver suggested the Presidential Office give a clarification about Koo's ads and Taiwan's position.

Koo, who is currently on a trip overseas, told CNA on Tuesday in Washington that the ads he placed in newspapers had nothing to do with the government.

"I paid for the ads myself, and the Taiwanese government knew nothing about it in advance," Koo, a long-term advocate for Taiwan's independence, was reported to have said.

Meanwhile, in related news, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that no war would take place across the Strait during his presidential term, which will run till 2008.

"Before my term is up in 2008, there will be no problems across the Taiwan Strait, because Taiwan will not make any provocation. I believe peace can be assured across the Taiwan Strait, and no war will take place," Chen said.

Chen made the remarks while receiving the head of Morgan Stanley's Worldwide Investment Bank, Terry Meguid, at the Presidential Office.

Acknowledging the high expectations for his National Day speech, slated for Oct. 10, Chen yesterday reiterated the content of his Double Ten Day speech will be "positive and constructive" and ease cross-strait tensions.

Chen also told Meguid that the government was making an important effort in trying to create a good investment environment and attract foreign investors' interest.
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