The successful launch of the Spring Festival charter flights across the Taiwan Straits proved the non-governmental organizations on the two sides can directly communicate on the technical and professional issues of the "three direct links" across the Taiwan Straits, the mainland spokesman said.

The non-governmental organizations can reach consensus, make arrangements and implement the relevant consensus reached on the "three direct links", Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council made the remarks at a regular press conference here Tuesday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao's speech on "three direct links" delivered in Xiamen fully showed the sincerity and good will of the Chinese mainland to promote the early realization of the "three direct links", which were welcomed and supported by the Taiwan compatriots, Li said.

The realization of "three direct links" is Chinese people's own affairs on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and can be discussed by the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Taiwan-based Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), he said.

"It is well known why the talks between ARARS and SEF could not be resumed," he said.

"We maintain non-governmental organizations can consult on the issues relating to 'three direct links' to promote the early realization of 'three direct links' which the people on the two sides are longing for, he said.

Meanwhile, the administrative officials from the concerned departments can also join in the consultation in the name of non-governmental organization personages, he said.

"The methods of consultation can be as flexible as possible and the ways on solving the problems should be simple and practicable, in addition to simplifying the technical issues," he said.

Li stressed "if the Taiwan authority can take effective measures and lift barriers in consideration of the interests of the Taiwan compatriots and Taiwan's economic development, 'three direct links' across the Straits can be realized smoothly".

On the cross-Straits passenger and cargo charter flights, Li said "we promoted and put forward approaches for the cooperation of cross-Straits civil aviation industry immediately after the 2005 Spring Festival charter flight completed. "

Pu Zhaozhou, vice-president of the mainland-based Cross-Straits Aviation Transport Exchange Council, expressed his hope to start consultation of cargo and passenger charter flights across the Straits as early as possible in his letters to Fan Zhiqiang, president of Taiwan-based Taipei Aviation Transport Industry Council, Li added.

"This proved our sincerity and good will to promote cross-Straits passenger and cargo charter flights," Li said, adding "the Taiwan authority also agreed in public to discuss passenger and cargo charter flights at the same time."

Chinese President Hu Jintao urged the non-governmental organizations across the Straits to hold consultations on the regular passenger and cargo flights and implement consensus reached simultaneously when he visited Taiwan businessmen in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian province, not long ago.

Source: Xinhua