Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian said Wednesday that the upcoming Economic Development Advisory Conference "must be a success" so that the countrymen will not be disappointed.
He made the remarks while hearing reports on the progress of the five divisions under the advisory conference.
As the five divisions are required to present their conclusions by Aug. 18 for final-stage discussions, Chen asked the Cabinet ministers responsible for division discussions to brief him on the progress of their preparations.
The president expressed his thanks to the officials for their efforts to ensure a successful conference.
He asked relevant ministries and agencies to consider drafting and amending related laws for prompt implementation of the conference's conclusions.
Chen told the participants that the cross-party conference carries the "maximum expectations" of the people and added that it "must be a success--failure is not permissible."
During the division discussions, he said, the delegates from all quarters should be encouraged to present their various opinions before reaching a consensus.
Chen reiterated that he will faithfully respect the conclusions reached at the conference and the government should have 100 percent determination to implement the conclusions without any reservations.
As some topics cannot be settled by a single division, the president asked the organizers to consider convening joint meetings of related divisions.
He hoped that a pre-conference meeting by the conveners of the five divisions could be held in mid-August to coordinate their decisions before the start of the division discussions.
The officials who attended the day's meeting at the Presidential Office included Premier Chang Chun-hsiung, Secretary-General to the President Yu Shyi-kun, Vice Premier Lai In-jaw, Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chiou I-jen, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Eng-wen, Minister of Finance Yen Ching-chang, Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Chu-lan, Environmental Protection Administration chief Hau Lung-bin, Council of Agriculture Chairman Chen Hsi-huang, Council for Economic Planning and Development Chairman Chen Po-chih, Council of Labor Chairperson Chen Chu, and deputy presidential secretaries-general Chen Che-nan and Chien You-hsin.