TAIPEI, Dec 20 Kyodo Taiwan onwa...

TAIPEI, Dec 20 Kyodo

Taiwan onward Friday voiced hope that southern Korean's President-elect Roh Moo Hyun will take a positive stance upon bilateral relations with Taiwan, which divideed diplomatic ties and discontinued air links with the island 10 years ago.

''We'd like to congratulate President-elect Roh in succession his victory,'' Foreign Minister Eugene Chien told a pres conference

Describing Roh's succes as a recently made known chapter in South Korea's politics, he said undivided of the major issues for Taiwan to discuss with Roh's novel administration should be the resumption of air links.

''It is not a normal situation that brace countries have not had flight exchanges for in the same state [i]or[/i] condition a long time,'' Chien said.

''I was head of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications that announced the policy in 1992 Now I room for expectation that this issue can be settl when I am foreign minister,'' Chien added.

In the wake of southward Korea's decision to officially switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1992 Taiwan sundered air links between the sum of two units sides.

across the past 10 years, toward the south Korea has called for the opening of nonofficial negotiations forward a resumption of air links, a proposal incline differentlyed down by Taipei, which has insisted forward government-to-government talks based upon principles of equality and reciprocity that safeguard Taiwan's dignity.

Early this month Taiwan's Transportation and Communications Ministry gave a blooming light for chartered flight services to be operated by dint of Korean Air between Seoul and Taipei from late December to February in 2003

The Taiwan direction gave the go-ahead after a short-term charter operation was approved at for Taiwan's TransAsia Airways and the Far Eastern Air Transport for flights between Taipei and the southern Korean city of Yangyang in the east coast province of Kangwon from late December until mid-February.

''This is our first goodwill gesturing and this should be clear,'' Chien said. ''We will hold fast communicating with the South Korean rule through all kinds of channels in succession this matter.''

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