A statement Sunday by the President's Advisory Group on Cross Strait Relations will create more ambiguous interpretations of the "one China" principle and provide no concrete direction, opposition parties said yesterday.
The ruling DPP, meanwhile, approved of the statement, saying that the "necessary ambiguity" it created could help to end disputes.
The advisory group called on President Chen Shui-bian (
But leaders of the three major opposition parties -- the KMT, the People First Party (PFP) and the New Party -- said at a press conference yesterday that the statement would do little to resolve cross-strait differences.
"The advisory group was intent on sending the ball of the dispute on the `one China' principle back into Beijing's court," said KMT legislative caucus leader Tseng Yung-chuan (
"And it brings more ambiguity in dealing with the `one China' issue, which will not help promote opportunities to reopening cross-strait dialogue."
PFP legislative caucus leader Diane Lee (
New Party convener Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said Sunday's statement failed to take in account the differing views on cross-strait affairs.
"How can we agree that the advisory group's statement is a consensus?" Hau said.
"Neither the pro-independence supporters nor the pro-reunification supporters have adopted their own interpretation of the statement."
In addition, opposition leaders said that Chen should return to the so-called "1992 consensus," whereby each side recognizes "`one China' with each side having its own interpretation"
The head of the DPP said, however, that the party would accept the statement because it violated neither the DPP's guidelines nor "tried hard to change the current cross-strait situation."
"The advisory group reached a valuable consensus and one which was not easily arrived at," DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh said recently that the ROC Constitution embodied the "one China" framework and that the DPP has already accepted that fact.
Yan Jiann-fa (
"Taiwan has already delivered sincerity [with this new statement]. All we have to do is wait for the other side's reaction," Yan said.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office yesterday remained silent about the advisory group's statement, saying the president would formally make an official declaration about how to respond on the "one China" issue after hearing reactions from opposition parties, scholars and the public.
"The Presidential Office need not stand on the battle line for the time being since the advisory group has created a `buffer zone' for the president," a close aide of Chen's said.
The aide also said that the president would discuss the advisory group's statement at tonight's policy meeting of nine senior officials, but that he would not be making any public comment soon.
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