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Ma defends KMT's positions on BBC

Stephen Sackur, left, presenter of the BBC program ``Hard Talk,'' during an interview with KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou in this video grab from a Taiwanese TV channel yesterday. PHOTO: TSUNG CHANG-CHIN, TAIPEI TIMES/CTI TELEVISION

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) appeared in an interview with the BBC's Hardtalk television program yesterday, in which he attempted to clarify the KMT's cross-strait position.

The BBC interviewed Ma during his visit to the UK on his European tour this month, and was aired on Tuesday in London. During the interview, host Stephen Sackur asked Ma if his cross-strait position was to "side with China," due to his opposition to the president's move to abolish the National Unification Council and guidelines.

Ma appeared agitated during the interview, as he defended both his position and the KMT's cross-strait policy.

"You have in the past been confusing. You've said your ultimate goal is unification with mainland China; you've also said it's an issue that should be settled by Taiwan's 23 million people, and then you said it's an issue that should be settled by people on both sides of the Strait. So which is it?" Sackur asked.

"What I have been saying is that Taiwan's future should be settled by Taiwanese people. This is the consensus of all the people in Taiwan. And they are ..." Ma said.

"What about the people on the other side of the Taiwan Strait?" Sackur interjected.

"Listen to me. There are three options before us: independence, status quo and unification. At the moment, the vast majority of people support the status quo," Ma told the host, later adding, "but in the future, when conditions are ripe, if Taiwanese people have some other thoughts, they could still make that decision according to their free will."

The host also questioned the motives of the pan-blue camp in blocking the arms-procurement deal in the legislature.

Ma, while acknowledging China was a threat to Taiwan, restated his party's opposition to any "unreasonable" procurement bill.

During the interview, Sackur also quoted newspapers criticizing former KMT chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) visit to China last year as a "sellout" of Taiwan, questioning Ma whether he would also "glad-hand" Chinese leaders in Beijing.

Ma said that the KMT would resume talks, sign a peace treaty including a military mutual trust mechanism and try to reach an agreement on establishing a common market if the party regained power in 2008.

"We hope to use these mechanisms to bring peace to the Taiwan Straits instead of an arms race or a confrontation as the Chen administration has done," he said.
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