`Spirit of 1992' key to cross-strait deadlock

The President's Advisory Group on Cross-Strait Relations (跨黨派小組) yesterday echoed President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) National Day speech, calling on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to reopen negotiation in the "spirit of the 1992 meeting."

The group, previously referred to as the Inter-Party Task Force on Cross-Strait Relations, also formally adopted its new English title at yesterday's meeting. Its Chinese name remains the same.

"Our majority opinion is to appeal to both sides and continue with the spirit of positive dialogue and communication, which existed in 1992 and 1993," said Hsiao Hsin-huang (蕭新煌), spokesman for the group.

The group, formally established on Aug. 5, held its second meeting yesterday to be briefed about the 1992 meeting by the Straits Exchange Foundation's (SEF) Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐).

Hsiao said at a press conference after the meeting that most members agreed with the SEF that "there was no consensus made in the 1992 meeting."

"Our meeting did not discuss the issue of `one China,' but we find that though the 1992 meeting did not reach any consensus, its spirit of positive dialogue and communication should continue," Hsiao said.

This opinion is at odds with advisory group convener Lee Yuan-tseh's (李遠哲) remarks of Sept. 2, when he advocated that both sides return to the "1992 consensus" of "one China with each side having its own interpretation" of the definition of one China.

Hsiao said the advisory group suggested all political party leaders hold a meeting soon to create a consensus on cross-strait affairs.

He stressed that the advisory group did not plan to formally invite party leaders to a meeting, saying that all members will help to bring it about.

"Since those parties' leaders were willing to meet with Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) one after the other to discuss the cross-strait issue, we believe that they should also meet together to reach a consensus for all Taiwanese," Hsiao said.

The advisory group held its second meeting yesterday at the Taipei Guest House, focusing on the issue of writing a paper called Basic Principles and Positions for Handling Cross-Strait Relations (處理兩岸關係之基本立場與原則).

Hsiao stressed that this paper would not regulate any concrete policy to guide the government but only list some "principles" with macro aspects.