Deal Reached on Taiwan Nuke Plant
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By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - The government struck a deal with the powerful opposition Tuesday to restart construction on Taiwan's fourth nuclear plant, ending a three-month feud that took a severe toll on the stock market and public confidence.
The agreement came after President Chen Shui-bian caved in to lawmakers' demands and retreated from his campaign promise to spike the partially built nuclear project, approved by the previous government.
Announcing that the opposition would accept the government's proposal with minor changes, the Legislature's president, Wang Jin-pyng, said, ``We have demonstrated our utmost goodwill. We did this so that the economy can quickly recover, and people can feel at ease.''
Later, at a signing ceremony, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (news - web sites), Taiwan's No. 3 ranking leader, said, ``We reached the agreement as the Cabinet considered the people's expectations for early political stability and our party's minority status in the legislature.''
The dispute has been more about the limits of power than the merits of nuclear energy. When the government canceled the $5.4-billion project in October, the opposition-controlled legislature was furious that lawmakers were not asked to endorse the move.
Legislators said they approved the plant's budget and should have had a say about its future. But the government argued that it had the power to unilaterally cancel a plant that would be unsafe on earthquake-prone Taiwan.
The political squabbling was a major factor in the stock market's 44 percent plunge last year and a steep drop in the approval ratings for the president and opposition lawmakers.
The island's highest court eventually ordered the two sides to negotiate a settlement.
Chen's Democratic Progressive Party has long been opposed to the fourth nuclear plant. The DPP has accused the former Nationalist Party government of railroading the project through the legislature.
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