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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Diplomacy
Pushing for name change
Taiwan's representative to Germany said on Thursday he will strive to push for a name change for his office from the present "Taipei Representative Office in Germany" to the "Taiwan Representative Office in Germany"during his term in office. In an exclusive interview with CNA, Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) said that the title "Taipei Representative Office " does not represent Taiwan. Since using the name "Republic of China Representative Office" will presumably not be accepted by the German government as Germany does not recognize Taiwan, the use of "Taiwan Representative Office" is the only pragmatic option, he added. Only by naming it the "Taiwan Representative Office" can the interests of Taiwan's 23 million people be represented in Germany, according to Shieh.

■ Politics
Two officials demoted
Claiming that she wants to "firm up the institution and kick out the culture of sycophancy," acting Kaohsiung Mayor Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) demoted yesterday two senior officials who have broken administrative rules. Yeh accepted city government adviser Lee Wen-liang's (李文良) resignation, demoting the former chairman of Taiwan Water Corp to the position of "adviser without pay." Lee broke the rules by moving his office to that of Chao Chih-chiang (趙志強), deputy director of the Bureau of Transportation, Oct. 11 and hanging a sign reading "Office of City Government Adviser" before starting work in the office. Chao was disciplined with a major demerit and demoted to a non-executive position.

■ Politics
There's no `consensus': MAC
A Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official yesterday dismissed a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposal that Taiwan and China resume dialogue based on the so-called "1992 consensus." MAC Vice Chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) made the remarks in response to KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) suggestion to accept the "1992 consensus" during an interview with the Hong Kong-based Ming Pao daily. Ma said both sides of the Strait should resume dialogue as soon as possible based on the "consensus," which the KMT claims was established between representatives of Taipei and Beijing in landmark talks held in Hong Kong in 1992. You yesterday said the consensus never existed. "As there is no such consensus, there is no issue of whether to accept it or not," he said.

■ Diplomacy
No go for quake aid
While Taiwan has yet to receive further news from Pakistan about permission to deliver earthquake aid, the government has prepared an emergency relief hygiene kit, NT$1 million in medication and medical equipment, rice, 6,000 military blankets and 100,000 ration items to help the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "We are also planning to dispatch a national emergency medical mission to Pakistan," ministry spokesman Michael Lu (呂慶龍) said yesterday. "India has expressed its gratitude for our goodwill gesture, but said there was no need for international assistance yet," Lu said, adding the two governments communicated with each other through Taiwan's representative office in India. As for Pakistan, due to a lack of formal channels of contact between Taipei and Islamabad, the selection, delivery and handling of relief materials were encountering difficulties, Lu said.

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