Status talks needed with US: Lee

UNRESOLVED: The former president said that discussions with the US were needed to settle the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty, which has been ambiguous since WWII

By Jewel Huang

STAFF REPORTER

The government needs to talk about Taiwan's legal status with the US so that it can eventually become an independent, normal nation, former president Lee Teng-hui said yesterday.

Lee made the remarks yesterday morning while giving a lecture at the Lee Teng-hui School.

"Everyone says that Taiwan needs to gain independence, but how?" Lee asked students.

Lee said that the key to the problem was that Taiwan's status is uncertain and that the "Republic of China" is not a real country.

"Although Taiwan is equipped with the prerequisites of nationhood -- including having a government, people, territory and diplomatic policies -- it lacks the most important element of a nation: sovereignty," Lee said.

"In fact, Taiwan's legal status has been uncertain since World War II, which has led the UN to reject Taiwan as a member and prevented Taiwan from participating in the international community and establishing relations with big countries," Lee said.

Lee said that during World War II, Taiwan was part of the Pacific theater and not the war in China. Although US General Douglas Mac-Arthur ordered former president Chiang Kai-shek to provisionally occupy Taiwan, there was never a final conclusion about the nation's sovereignty. Even the terms of the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty left Taiwan's status uncertain.

Therefore, to move toward the goal of Taiwanese independence, Lee said that the nation needed to hold discussions with the US, in addition to its other efforts: promoting Taiwanese democracy, writing a new constitution and changing the country's official name.

"We could see exactly what the US wants from Taiwan, and then decide if we can accept the US' conditions," Lee said.

Lee said that, his key aim was to enhance the public's national identification. He also criticized Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, who is now campaigning for the chairmanship of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), for betraying his vow to be a "new Taiwanese," made when Lee campaigned for him in the Taipei mayoral election in 1998.

Lee also responded to media reports which speculated that he may suffer from severe diabetes.

"I'm in very good health," Lee said with a smile. "Those who have doubts about my health condition can play golf with me."

"Perhaps some people want me to die early so that they can do whatever they want," Lee added, sparking a round of laughter.

Production set to begin on Hsiung Feng II-E missiles

By Rich Chang

STAFF REPORTER

A small number of cruise missiles, the Hsiung Feng II-E (Brave Wind), will go into production this month, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister paper) reported yesterday.

"The Hsiung Feng II-E cruise missiles would be swiftly deployed on Taiwan's west coast. Cities in southeastern China and more than 20 of China's main military bases in southwestern China" would be within range of the missiles, the paper said.

It said the Hsiung Feng II-E missile would be able to be launched from land, sea or air. If the missiles were deployed on outlaying islands, Shanghai would be within range, it said.

Meanwhile, other Chinese-language newspapers reported yesterday the nation's first national security report will suggest the military adjust its strategy by buying and developing more offensive weapons to deter China's military threat against Taiwan, the newspapers said.

The report will say that given that the US is willing to consider selling Taiwan offensive weapons, the military should adjust its arms-procurement lists, the papers said. The report will say that the country will never develop nuclear, biochemical weapons or weapons of mass destruction.

A Chinese-language newspaper reported last month that the military had successfully tested a 1,000km-range cruise missile, the Hsiung Feng II-E.

The Liberty Times, however, said the military would initially produce 600km-range missiles because more work was needed on turbo-generators capable of powering longer-range missiles.

According to the paper, the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which is in charge of missile-production programs, estimated it would produce advanced turbo-generator-equipped cruise missiles with a 1,000km-range by next year.

The paper said the military decided to quickly deploy the shorter-range missiles because of the increasing threat from China.

The paper said the new cruise missile still needs to have its guidance system enhanced. It said the US has yet to agree to sell a global positioning system (GPS) for military use to Taiwan. As a result, the new missiles would initially be equipped with a GPS system designed for businesses and with Russia's GLONESS positioning system to enhance their positioning capability, it said.

Chen-Hu meet is just a wish: MAC

CROSS-STRAIT HOPES: Joseph Wu said that Chen was trying to show the world he has no preset conditions and wants to keep peace in the region

By Shih Hsiu-chuan

STAFF REPORTER

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu admitted yesterday that President Chen Shiu-bian's desire for cross-strait leaders' meeting was just his way of telling the international community that he hoped for cross-strait reconciliation.

"President Chen's initiative for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao was aimed at getting the message across to the international community that Taiwan has no pre-set conditions on any cross-strait issues and is willing to achieve reconciliation with Chinese government," Wu told a local radio station.

With this initiative, Chen expressed his hope that the cross-strait disputes would be settled by peaceful means, as opposed to China, which insists on Taiwan accepting the "one China principle" and the "1992 Consensus" before any talks are held Wu said.

Chen's idea of meeting with Hu was first proposed in late May, following the visits to China by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party Chairman James Soong.

Chen said such a meeting should take place in a "third country" and there should be no preconditions.

Late last month Li Weiyi, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said that any such meeting "should only occur on our own soil." Li reiterated that "`one China' policy would be the indispensable condition to talks."

Wu said the conditions set by China are obstacles to any talks.

"The cross-strait situation is not very good at the moment. While China reinforces its military threat to Taiwan, maintains its campaign of diplomatic isolation against Taiwan and insists on setting conditions for resuming cross-strait dialogue, a meeting of the two leaders would be difficult to achieve," he said.

"We really want to have such a meeting. Yet, there is a gap between ideal and reality and there are heaps of obstacles to be overcome," Wu said.

China's insistence on being the venue of such talks would make it difficult to achieve, Wu said.

As long as China maintains its current stance, it should understand that "it would be impossible for Taiwan's leaders to visit China in such a situation. In this case, meeting in a third country seems to be a natural and workable way," he said.

"In view of this, President Chen has suggested a meeting place," Wu said.

US forces step up rescue effort

URGENCY: One purported member of the US Navy Seals missing in Afghan mountains since last week has been rescued, but the search is still on for the rest of the elite team

AP , KABUL

"We still have missing service members. The search continues and all available assets are being used," he said.

"We still have missing service members. The search continues and all available assets are being used."

Lieutenant Colonel Jerry O'Hara, US military spokesman

A member of an elite US military team missing in Afghan mountains since last week has been rescued and US forces pushed on yesterday with their urgent search for the other team members, US military officials said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghan soldiers fighting alongside US troops in the mountains have encircled a small group of suspected al-Qaeda fighters, but no leaders of Osama bin Laden's network are believed to be in the area, Defense Minister Rahim Wardak said.

The rescued American serviceman was being rushed to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, a US Defense Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He declined to say when the rescue occurred or provide other details, including reaction to reports that the team consisted of three US Navy Seals.

US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry O'Hara declined to comment on the rescued serviceman, but said an unspecified number of other troops were still missing in the mountains.

The small special operations unit was reported missing last Tuesday in mountains in Kunar province, near the border with Pakistan, setting off an extensive US military search.

A rescue effort the same day ended in tragedy when a transport helicopter seeking to extract the team was shot down, killing 16 troops aboard. It was the deadliest single blow yet to US forces who ousted the Taliban in 2001.

The deaths brought to 45 the number of US forces killed in Afghanistan over the last three months as a revitalized Taliban has stepped up its insurgency ahead of elections. Taliban-led rebels have targeted hundreds of people linked to Karzai's government in violence since March that has left nearly 700 people dead and threatened three years of progress toward peace.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Mullah Latif Hakimi, claimed last week that militants had captured one member of the team and said he was a "high-ranking American" caught in the same area as where the helicopter went down, but refused to elaborate.

Hakimi, who also claimed insurgents shot down the helicopter, often calls news organizations to take responsibility for attacks and the information frequently proves exaggerated or untrue. His exact tie to the Taliban leadership is unclear.

US officials said there was no evidence indicating that any of the soldiers had been taken into captivity.

Wardak, the defense minister, said the rugged, wooded mountains in Kunar are popular with militants because they are "easy to infiltrate and get out quickly." He said al-Qaeda is not thought to have permanent bases there, but that small teams of fighters roam the area.

Hundreds of Afghan troops fanned out across the mountains last week in search of the militants, he said.