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Taiwan will send delegations to the US, Europe and Japan to try to assure them a controversial referendum would not change the nation's political status quo with China, a group member said yesterday.

Parris Chang (張旭成), a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator who will lead one of the delegations, said they would try to clear doubts about President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) plan to hold a referendum calling for China to dismantle nearly 500 missiles aimed at the island.

"As a major power, China should be more responsible and not behave like a bully," Chang, whose delegation will visit Britain, France, Germany and EU officials, said.

"We do not seek to change the status quo. We certainly don't use this referendum for independence as such. We do hope this referendum could accomplish peace," Chang said.

The delegations of senior officials and academics are scheduled to leave Taiwan on Friday and plan to meet with officials, lawmakers, think tanks and media in those countries.

China condemned Chen on Wednesday for saying he was waging a "holy war" against it, calling him immoral and accusing him of fanning anti-Beijing sentiment to win votes.

Chen shows no signs of backing down on holding the "peace referendum" alongside presidential elections on March 20, despite a blunt warning from US President George W. Bush against either side upsetting the status quo.

But Chen's chief of staff, Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), became the first in the president's camp to admit the referendum plan could become an election liability for Chen if the government failed to ease international concerns, local newspapers reported yesterday.
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