The legislative caucus of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) urged President Chen Shui-bian (
TSU legislative whip Chen Chien-ming (
Despite post-election tensions, Chen Chien-ming said, Chen Shui-bian should invite Lien and Soong to join the proposed group.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"Both Lien and Soong are experienced politicians. President Chen should seek their counsel in formulating cross-strait policy and promoting peaceful development of cross-strait ties," Chen Chien-ming said.
He said the proposed committee could serve as a platform for civic organizations and political parties in sharing views and formulating policy initiatives boosting cross-strait rapprochement.
TSU Legislator Lo Chih-ming (
Lo said Chen Shui-bian should not mention the "five noes" pledge in his speech.
Chen Shui-bian made the "five noes" pledge in 2000, referring to no changes to the title "Republic of China" or the national flag, no holding of a referendum on "unification versus independence," no enshrinement of "two states" in the Constitution and no abolishing of the National Unification Council or the National Unification Guidelines.
Claiming that the "five noes" were placing a restriction on the nation's sovereignty, Lo said that if Chen mentioned them again in his May 20 speech, he would be infringing upon the people's right to determine their own destiny.
"The president has no right to determine the future of the 23 million people of Taiwan on their behalf," Lo said. "I hope President Chen will clearly emphasize Taiwan's independent sovereign status in his speech."
Vice President Annette Lu (
"Taiwan, no matter which name you call it, is an independent country, and the inauguration ceremony of the 11th president and vice president is a joyful national event. More than 15 heads of state will participate," Lu said yesterday.
"If you really are sincere about your love for the country, you should take part in the ceremony," Lu said. "I sincerely invite Mr. Lien and Mr. Soong to display their pride as citizens of Taiwan and attend our inauguration."
Lo Chih-ming also noted what he called Chen Shui-bian's recent efforts promoting social stability and ethnic harmony in the wake of the presidential election.
Lo was referring to Chen's visit to former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Shih Ming-teh (
On Thursday, Chen Shui-bian convened the first meeting of his nine-member task force charged with crafting a "peace and stability" framework for cross-strait interaction.
"We need to create criteria for the development of a peaceful and stable cross-strait relationship and forge a consensus among the government, the opposition alliance and all of the people of Taiwan. I hope this will be the first goal that the task force can accomplish," Chen said at the meeting.
Additional reporting by Lin Chieh-yu
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