Taipei (dpa) - The top US official for Taiwan relations warned on Tuesday that the island's upcoming UN referendum will harm stability in the Asia-Pacific.
 

Raymond Burghardt, board chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, the US government agency handling unofficial ties with Taiwan, gave the warning before rounding up his four-day visit.

On Monday, Burghardt told President Chen Shui-bian that the US hoped Taiwan's 2008 presidential election will be a peaceful transfer of power. He also voiced US concern about Chen's plan to hold a referendum on joining the UN in March next year.

Chen assured Burghardt that the referendum had nothing to do with seeking independence and he would not seek independence before he steps down on May 20, 2008.

But Burghardt was not convinced by Chen's assurance, and told reporters on Tuesday that the UN referendum is making trouble.

The US is opposed to the referendum because it seeks to bind the hands of the new presidents, will affect the atmosphere of cross-Strait interactions, and will alter Asia-Pacific stability, Burghardt said.

On the surface, the referendum looks like it has not broken Chen's "Four No" pledge to the US, but the US thinks it has broken his pledges, and this is going through the "back door," he said.

When Chen became president in 2000, he made four promises to the US, including that he would not change Taiwan's title or hold a referendum to seek independence.

Burghardt also said that even if the UN referendum succeeds, that is if most Taiwanese vote for joining the UN, Washington's "one China" policy will remain unchanged, refuting Chen's remark that success of the UN referendum would mean that Washington's "one China" policy is wrong.

During his stay in Taiwan, Burghardt also met with Taiwan opposition Chinese Nationalist Party's presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou.

Ma assured Burghardt that if he becomes Taiwan's president, he will seek cross-Strait peace and will not discuss with Beijing the independence or unification issue within his term.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT), which moved to Taiwan after losing the Chinese Civil War in 1949, used to advocate Taiwan-China reunification, but has stopped doing so due to Taiwan public's growing support for keeping the status quo or seeking independence.

Therefore, in recent months, Ma has been saying that Taiwan's future must be decided by Taiwan people.