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Chen touts positives of UN referendum

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) continued to push for the referendum on Taiwan's bid to join the UN under the name "Taiwan" yesterday, saying that a vote on the bid would generate at least four major influences, including a re-evaluation of the "one China" policy by the US.

Under the influence of the Taiwan UN-bid referendum, Chen calculated that Washington would review the "one China" policy it has followed for decades in favor of the People's Republic of China and consider whether the US should politically recognize both China and Taiwan.

Chen made the remarks while speaking at an event marking the sixth anniversary of the Taiwan Heart Association, established in 2001 by Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to champion Taiwan's distinctive identity.

The president said he believes that the passage of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-initiated UN bid referendum will be very helpful in terms of winning US support for Taiwan.

Chen also claimed that the referendum would help to ensure the success of the DPP presidential ticket of Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) in next year's presidential election.

In the wake of the UN-bid referendum, he added, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would increasingly "localize" itself and would probably change its name to the "Taiwan KMT."

Faced with a successful referendum on the UN bid, Chen claimed that China would no longer insist on the "one China" prerequisite for cross-strait negotiations, which would be conducive to the signing of a genuine bilateral peace accord.

The DPP-proposed referendum is slated to be held together with the presidential election on March 22.

As of Friday, Chen said, the DPP referendum initiative had collected 1.38 million endorsement signatures. The party expects to reach the 2 million target by the end of this month.

If 8 million eligible voters cast "yes" ballots next year, Chen said he is convinced that the percentage of Americans who support Taiwan's UN bid will increase from 55 percent to 70 percent.

Should that be the case, Chen said, the US Congress and the White House will feel the pinch of public opinion in the US and eventually change their attitudes and lend support to Taiwan's UN bid.

At a separate event, Chen said on Saturday that Taiwan would stand a better chance of persuading the US to support its bid to join the UN if the referendum proposal passes.

Chen made the remarks while attending a prayer service at the Eastgate Presbyterian Church in Tainan. The prayer service was held to ask for God's blessing for the country's quest for UN membership.

Chen said that insisting on Taiwan's separate identity and pursuing social justice are his fundamental policy values.

Despite US concerns over the referendum, Chen said he would not waver because he believed it was the right path for Taiwan to follow.

"So long as we have confidence in Taiwan, its people and democracy, we will succeed eventually," he said.

When the country's first-ever referendum was held alongside the 2004 presidential election, Chen recalled that the opposition camp pulled out all the stops to boycott the plebiscite. Still, some 7 million voters cast ballots in the referendum on issues regarding the country's defense.

This time around, Chen said, even the KMT is pushing for a referendum on whether the country should "rejoin" the UN under its official title, "Republic of China."

All these developments represent the progress made in Taiwan's democratic development, Chen said. He added that he firmly believes that the passage of the DPP-initiated UN bid referendum will be very helpful to lobby for US support for the cause.

Also see UN torch relay is 'unstoppable': Chen
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