The personal representatives of Wang Daohan, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), paid silent tribute to Koo Chen-fu, late chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), at a memorial service in Taipei on Wednesday afternoon.

ARATS Vice President Sun Yafu and Secretary-General Li Yafei both attended the 1993 non-governmental talks between Wang and Koo, and met Koo on numerous other occasions.

To the accompaniment of mournful music in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, they bowed before a portrait of Koo, who died aged 88 on January 3.

The two also called on Koo's wife, Yen Cho-yun, and family to extend their cordial regards. Yen gave them a letter for Wang. Earlier, Sun and Li had forwarded a letter from Wang to Yen.

"We join the people of Taiwan to mourn Koo Chen-fu. We can feel the high esteem he enjoyed in Taiwan society, including for his active contributions to the development of cross-Straits relations," Sun said after leaving the service.

Wang had said earlier that he had cherished memories of his old friend Koo and had wanted to attend his funeral. "However, due to my advanced age I am too weak to go there."

Koo held two rounds of talks with Wang on cross-Straits matters. Thanks to their joint efforts, the ARATS and SEF reached a consensus in 1992 that "both sides of the Taiwan Straits adhere to the one-China principle," though each side may have their own interpretation of it.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2005)