Sat, Aug 31, 2002 page1

• `Each side' remark no accident: Chen

  MAKE NO MISTAKE The president said yesterday his `one country on each side' of the Strait comment was a well-thought part of his security strategy for the nation

  • By Lin Chieh-yu / STAFF REPORTER
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  President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday defended his recent "one country on each side of the Strait" remark, saying that far from being reckless, it was a well-considered part of his overall security strategy for the country.

  "My talk on Aug. 3 came after careful consideration and was based on my succession as DPP chairman, the growing movement to restore the name of Taiwan and the inevitable trend toward direct links between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait," Chen told reporters during a gathering with journalists yesterday afternoon.

  To celebrate "Reporter's Day," which falls annually on Sept. 1, Chen invited the press to tea and refreshments at the Presidential Office yesterday.

  During the event, Chen explained what brought on his controversial remarks, saying that he felt a need to urge the public to "seriously consider the urgency and necessity of passing a referendum law."

  Chen said now that he is DPP chairman, the public is watching how he deals with the party's pro-independence platform, formulated in 1991, which calls for the establishment of an independent Taiwan and a new Constitution.

  "Therefore I told party officials that the `Resolution on Taiwan's Future,' formulated in 1999, would be the party's guiding principle in dealing with cross-strait issues," the president said.

  The 1999 resolution stipulates that Taiwan is an independent state whose name is the ROC and that any change regarding the status quo be collectively determined through a public referendum.

  He stressed that this instruction, which quite clearly deals with the so-called "independent platform" issue, should calm any controversy sparked by his Aug. 3 speech.

  "Under the 1999 resolution, a referendum would only be implemented to protect the status quo if China tries to force Taiwan to accept the `one China, two systems' policy," Chen said.

  Noting that the referendum will be just a "passive defense" against China's threats and that it wouldn't be used to decide independence, he said he hoped the public would not misunderstand his comments.

  Chen explained that, when he said "Taiwan must go its own way, which is the way of democracy, freedom and human rights," he was responding to the overwhelming calls of Taiwanese that he rectify the issue of the country's name.

  "The government must respect the call," Chen said, "Taiwan's own way will be decided by the will of the people."

  As for the issue of direct links, Chen said that, whether people like his policies or not, the nation must bravely face [China] and cautiously avoid falling into China's trap.

  "The opposite side insists that Taiwan is a local government under its juristiction -- and that this fact is the pre-condition for direct links. As Taiwan's national leader, I must ensure that our country not be localized or marginalized," he said.

  "I must clearly point out that Taiwan, the ROC, is an independent sovereign country that will neither oppose or deny the fact that the PRC is also a country," he said. "Therefore, I said that there is one country on each side of the Strait."

  The president also reaffirmed that Taiwan must have its own "great strategy" to guide government policy-making at this crucial moment.

  "We must normalize cross-strait trade and economic relations and seek regional cooperation while also safeguarding Taiwan's national security," Chen said. "We must consider how to deal with these issues under the great strategy."

  He also said the next Tashee meeting will be held on Sept. 8, and to show soidarity with the US, it will focus on security issues.
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