People First Party Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (
This meeting, according to the report, took place just before Soong departed for his overseas trip.
An unnamed high-ranking official from the KMT was cited in the report as the source of the information, just as was the case in a previous report which said that Soong had confessed to KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) that Chen, during the July 17 meeting, had offered to appoint Soong premier if a DPP-PFP coalition is formed after the elections.
While the PFP has denied the veracity of this report, Presidential Office Secretary-general Yu Shyi-kun clarified on Friday that there was never any discussion about forming a coalition government at the July 17 meeting.
Chang yesterday again criticized the KMT official for behaving like a "hoodlum" for spreading yet more false information.
Chang said Soong met President Chen only once, on July 17, at Chen's invitation to discuss the possibility of Soong serving as a vice chairman of the Economic Development Advisory Conference.
Chang said Chen initially had intended to contact Lien first, but the plan did not work out because the KMT was at odds with the DPP at that time over the DPP's proposal to investigate the KMT's huge assets.
Soong notified Lien before he went to the meeting and he later also turned down Chen's offer to serve as the conference's vice chairman, in light of an agreement between the opposition leaders to support one another, according to Chang.
Chang said it was no big deal for political leaders to meet each other, but that some people tend to look at this kind of matter with a suspicious mind.
Chang said that bitterness in the wake of the presidential election should be put aside and that political leaders, including President Chen, should communicate with each other to exchange views on policies.
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