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Tributes paid to late SEF chief

By Xing Zhigang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-04 07:47

Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits president Chen Yunlin presents a porcelain painting to Cecilia Koo, wife of Koo Chen-fu, late chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, in Taipei yesterday. Wang Yuanmao

TAIPEI: Beijing's top envoy on Taiwan began his first day on the island by paying homage to one of the founders of cross-Taiwan Straits talks.

Chen Yunlin, president of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), visited Cecilia Koo, wife of late Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman Koo Chen-fu.

Late ARATS president Wang Daohan and Koo Chen-fu held the historic "Wang-Koo meeting" in Singapore in April, 1993. It was the first cross-Straits meeting between leaders of the two authorized non-governmental organizations in four decades.

Koo died on Jan 3, 2005, at the age of 87, and Wang on Dec 24 in the same year at the age of 90.

Yesterday, Chen praised the contribution of the two founders in taking cross-Straits relations forward.

"They should feel comfortable in heaven because of what is happening today," he said, referring to warmer ties across the Straits.

Cecilia Koo said she regretted that Chen's predecessor couldn't visit the island. But she felt happy to see Chen realize his dream.

Wang's planned visit to Taiwan, at the invitation of Koo Chen-fu, was stalled in 1999 when the then Taiwan "president" Lee Teng-hui defined cross-Straits ties as "special state-to-state relationship".

Cecilia Koo recalled that her husband's biggest wish was peaceful development of cross-Straits ties.

Cross-Straits relations froze despite high expectations of Koo and Wang, she said, referring to tensions during the past nine years.

But things have improved since Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou pushed for closer links with the mainland, Cecilia Koo said. Chen's visit to the island demonstrates that cross-Straits ties have "walked out of the ebb," she said. "Winter has gone and spring is round the corner."

She, however, urged both sides to deal with all the issues with patience and caution because cross-Straits ties are complicated.

Chen presented Cecilia Koo with a porcelain painting of Koo Chen-fu and Wang shaking hands. In return, she presented Chen with a painting of a pair of singing orioles.

The painting, she said, signifies that the two sides of the Straits are in their best time and should sing a choir with their "most beautiful voices".

(China Daily 11/04/2008 page2)