Taiwan's opposition leader and potential "presidential" front-runner Ma
Ying-jeou called on Monday for multilateral talks with the mainland to
avoid confrontation.
Supporters of Taiwan's main
opposition Nationalist Party shout slogans during a protest march in
Taipei March 12, 2006. Thousands of people marched through Taipei on
Sunday to denounce "president" Chen Shui-bian, accusing him of fanning
tensions with the mainland.
[Reuters] |
"Without negotiations, I
think the current state across the Taiwan Strait could move from stagnation to
confrontation," Ma told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
Relations with the mainland have been strained since February when
pro-independence Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian scrapped the National
Unification Council (NUC), a dormant but politically significant body aimed at
one day reuniting the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Ma, the mayor of Taipei, is chairman of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT),
or the Nationalist Party, which favors closer ties across the Strait. He called
the abolition of the council "unnecessary and unwise."
Ma, 55, seen by many as the opposition's best bet for victory in the 2008
polls, has said he would reopen talks and aim to sign a peace agreement with the
mainland if his party regained power in the next "presidential election."
In comments to reporters after his speech, Ma said that in the meantime,
talks should include ruling and opposition parties in the mainland and
Taiwan as well as "governments".
"We in the KMT have already established a dialogue with the Chinese Communist
Party. We also call upon the mainland to talk. Otherwise I'm really afraid
the situation will deteriorate," Ma said, referring to the "escalation of
confrontation" caused by the NUC matter.
Beijing refuses to deal with Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
stands for an independent Taiwan identity.