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Wang ties links bill to success of DPP's economic meeting

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday that the passage of a bill allowing direct cross-strait transport links would be a decisive factor in the success of a planned conference on sustainable economic growth.

Quoting remarks made on Wednesday by Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), director of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Central Policy Committee, Wang said if the draft amendments to the Statute Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) continue to be boycotted in the legislature, the KMT would have no reason to take part in the economic sustainability conference being organized by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration.

The pan-blue camp's amendment removes the government's authority to approve travel by Taiwanese aircraft and boats to China, which the pan-green camp said would damage the nation's sovereignty.

The amendment caused the recently concluded legislative session to come to a standstill on Tuesday, leaving other government's priority bills languishing.

Wang said that he was pessimistic about the fate of the planned economic conference since lawmakers from the opposing sides have failed to make any headway on negotiations on the direct links bill over the past two weeks, with both sides refusing to compromise and remaining deeply divided on the issue.

Opposition lawmakers have said the administration's call to convene an extraordinary legislative session to deal with outstanding budget bills hinges on "handling the direct links bill."

In response to an appeal by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to hold an extraordinary session, Wang said Su should negotiate with all legislative caucuses on the matter.

"It is necessary to have an extraordinary session, but the underlying problem is the direct links clause," Wang said.

Su, who visited Wang yesterday at the Legislature Yuan, said he hoped Wang would help convince legislators to hold an extraordinary session and participate in the economic conference, which is scheduled for July 10 and 11.

Wang said he would convene a cross-party negotiation meeting today to discuss an extraordinary session.

"With the coming flood season, it's really an urgent matter to get the flood control budget bill passed in the legislature," he said.

"The biggest obstacle is the direct links clause. If there is no solution on the clause, the extraordinary session will surely be a mess," Wang said.

Wang suggested that the premier persuade the pan-green camp -- which blocked the amendment from being put to a vote on the legislative floor -- to make some concessions regarding the pan-blue's amendment to break the impasse in the legislature.
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