Liberal Parties to Begin Renegotiations on Merger
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Two liberal parties plan to resume negotiations to propel their merge, officials of the parties said Wednesday.
The United New Democratic Party (UNDP) encountered objections in the party against the integration but finally decided, after a three-hour meeting, to propel the renegotiations based on the agreement struck on Monday by the chairmen of two parties and presidential candidates.
The Democratic Party (DP), which had insisted on no renegotiation on the merger, announced the same day it will join the renegotiations.
For this, the UNDP will organize a committee led by party Chairman Oh Chung-il to detail conditions of the two-way alliance.
UNDP nominee Chung Dong-young, who played an active role for the merger agreement, called for party members' support stressing he betted his life on the Dec. 19 presidential election.
``The negotiation on the merger has nothing to do with the National Assembly elections next June and I am not interested in seizing power in the party,'' Chung said. ``I hope party members will respect the agreement of Monday's meeting.''
Rep. Kim Hyun-mee, spokeswoman of Chung's camp, said the committee will expedite the renegotiation considering opinions from party members and supporters.
Mounting voices in the UNDP were against the merger claiming the party leadership had not fully collected party member opinion.
About 20 loyalists to President Roh Moo-hyun, including former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and former Minister of Health and Welfare Rhyu Si-min, urged UNDP leaders to renegotiate the merger Tuesday.
They criticized the merger, which is actually a reunion, saying it will destroy principles of the democracy.
Despite resumption of the talks, it still remains cloudy whether the two sides can reach a final accord because the DP is threatening the UNDP that nothing must be changed in Monday's accord.
They agreed to tentatively name the to-be-merged party the United Democratic Party and take a reformative, middle-of-the-road platform under joint leadership, Oh told reporters.
For a unified candidacy, the two parties will have to have two rounds of debates between Chung and Rhee and conduct a nationwide survey to pick a single candidate between Nov. 23 and 24.