A spokesperson from the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office
(TAO) said in Beijing on Sunday that representatives of the
Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) will
attend the funeral of Koo Chen-fu, chairman of Taiwan's Straits
Exchange Foundation (SEF).
Wang Daohan, president of the ARATS, is sending the
mainland-based organization's Vice President Sun Yafu and
Secretary-General Li Yafei to attend the funeral on his behalf, as
he is unable to travel himself.
Koo died of renal failure in Taipei on January 3, aged 89. In an
earlier interview, Wang said that compatriots across the Taiwan
Straits had praised Koo for his contribution to the development of
relations and his honoring of the consensus reached in 1992 by the
ARATS and SEF on the "one-China" principle.
"I cherish the memories of my old friend and wanted to attend
his funeral," said Wang, "However, due to my old age I am too weak
to go there."
In April 1993, Koo and Wang met in Singapore for the first
high-level, non-governmental talks between Taiwan and the mainland,
which became known as the Wang-Koo meeting. In 1998 they held a
second round in Shanghai.
Sun and Li will leave Shanghai for Taipei on February 1 and
return the next day, the TAO spokesperson said.
TAO Director Chen Yunlin told the press, "We have treasured
memories of Mr. Koo. We wish to pay our respects."
The TAO added that, during their visit to Taiwan, Sun and Li
will act as personal representatives of the ARATS president and
will not touch on any issue pertaining to cross-Straits
relations.
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2005)