The DPP and opposition parties reached an agreement yesterday on the workings of President Chen Shui-bian's (
Yu Shyi-kun, secretary-general to the president, said after a preparatory meeting yesterday that Chen would ask the Cabinet to implement any proposals put forth by the council.
The group is expected to unveil its plan to jump-start the ailing economy in August.
Yu, along with Vice Premier Lai In-jaw (
"The council is a temporary, purely economic-oriented task force, which does not violate the government system as stipulated by the Constitution," Yu said yesterday after the meeting.
"The agenda of the council's meeting should not include any ideological issues," Yu said.
"A complete agenda for the council's meetings should be decided by all political parties and groups."
As to the question of whether controversial "ideological issues," which include the controversial topics such as direct links with China and the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, Yu said that those issues were not discussed at the meeting yesterday.
"We only agreed that the details -- such as the council's membership quotas [for each political group], how long the meetings will last and what would be the method for reaching conclusions -- should be decided at the next meeting" on June 27, Yu said.
In addition, Yu said that rules governing the council's meetings would be established at the next gathering.
"All representatives believe that the council should make some concrete proposals as soon as it is possible, and the tentative schedule is to end the meetings in late August," Yu said.
Chen proposed the cross-party economic advisory council during his inaugural anniversary speech on May 18.
The president said that he plans to invite politicians of all stripes, scholars, experts and business leaders to help the government formulate its financial and economic policies.
Independent lawmakers Jao Yung-ching (趙永清) suggested that Chen personally visit the heads of the nation's political parties to extend his invitation, saying the political atmosphere of vicious confrontation that was currently in existence was not really conducive to cross-party cooperation.
Yu stressed that Chen has promised to implement all of the council's conclusions.
"One of the major sticking points in Taiwan's recent economic development is the unstable political situation springing from the lack of trust among political parties," Yu quoted the president as saying.
"We hope that the advisory council can spur all parties to get back to working together on economic issues and get moving beyond merely partisan politics," Yu said.
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