Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday his administration's plan to hold a referendum in 2006 on a draft new constitution to be implemented May 20, 2008 completely complies with the nation's constitutional system and will by no means breach his May 20 inauguration pledge.
Chen made the remarks while meeting with a visiting U.S. congressional delegation headed by Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas).
He also took advantage of the meeting to reaffirm his commitment to maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait through the rest of his term in office.
During his meeting with the U.S. congressional delegation, Chen said the policy guidelines outlined in his May 20 second inauguration speech, his Oct. 10 National Day address and his Nov. 10 10-point directive for his administration's cross-strait policy and constitutional re-engineering plan have not undergone any change and will remain intact through the end of his tenure.
He assured the U.S. congressmen that his administration will strictly follow Taiwan's existing constitution-amending procedures in writing a new constitution that fits Taiwan's present situation.
Under the existing mechanism, the new constitution draft requires the consent of three-quarters of the legislators before it can be referred to a "functional National Assembly" for further review and approval.
According to a legislative reform package passed by the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan in August this year, Chen said the first and last "functional National Assembly" will be elected next year to vote on the draft new constitution.
If all goes well, he went on, the draft new constitution will again be put up for a nationwide referendum in 2006. If passed, the new constitution will be put into force on the day of the conclusion of his tenure -- May 20, 2008.
According to the new constitution, Chen said, the "functional National Assembly" will be phased out and all future constitution-amending bills passed by the legislature will be subject to national referendum rather than approval by the "functional National Assembly."
In conclusion, Chen said, his constitutional re-engineering plan is fully compliant with Taiwan's constitutional procedures and will not violate the content or spirit of his May 20 inauguration speech, National Day address and Nov. 10 directives. "Our promises remain in place and will not be subjected to any change, " he added.
Chen reiterated that he hopes the "pan-green camp" of his Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan Solidarity Union can win a clear majority in the Dec. 11 legislative elections to facilitate his policy initiatives, including legislative reform and constitutional re-engineering.
Once the "pan-green camp" controls a legislative majority, Chen went on, Taiwan will be more confident in dealing with cross-strait relations and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will be more likely to resume dialogue to maintain regional peace and stability.
Other members of the U.S. congressional delegation include Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) and Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), as well as former Congressman Greg Laughlin and their aides. They arrived in Taipei earlier in the day.