By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak has delayed a meeting with leaders of the governing and opposition parties saying the meeting would be meaningful only if three major party leaders attend, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. The luncheon meeting was originally scheduled for that day.
Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), declined the invitation, saying that President Lee ignored earlier promises and opposition parties' demands that the government's economic and diplomatic initiatives be changed.
The presidential office, the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and the Liberty Forward Party (LFP) agreed to put off the meeting after the DP said its leader would not show up, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
The three sides shared the view that discussing the national agenda, including the passage of the budget for next year, without having the leader of the largest opposition party present, would be meaningless, he added.
The spokesman said another date for the luncheon meeting would be set after checking with the DP, indicating the meeting was not cancelled but postponed.
DP spokesman Choi Jae-sung, meanwhile, urged the presidential office and the GNP to scrutinize the DP's motive for refusing the offer.
``The answer is that trust has not been built between the ruling and opposition parties. We cannot accept an offer to have lunch with people whom we don't trust,'' he said.
LFP spokeswoman Park Sun-young said her party expressed its willingness to join the meeting as it shares the need for bipartisan efforts to discuss ways of overcoming the current global recession with the presidential office.
``We advised the presidential office to convince the DP leader, who previously made clear his unwillingness to join the meeting,'' Park said.
She said the LFP would wait until Chung agrees and will then participate in the meeting, if a schedule is set.
Last week, the presidential office announced that Lee would have the meeting with leaders of major parties to explain to them the results of his talks with leaders at the Group of 20 summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in November.
Following the announcement, DP leader Chung said he would not show up.