Ma issued the call at the opening of the two-day 2009 International Leadership Conference held at the Grand Hotel, which was attended by more than 100 religious, political and academic representatives from 16 Asian countries and 300 local delegates.

Stressing that the top priority of his eight-month old administration is to create peace and prosperity in the region, Ma said he hopes to gradually reduce the level of hostility and forge better ties between Taiwan and China through increased two-way trade and economic exchanges.

As the first step toward the goal, the president said, he succeeded in pushing for the resumption of cross-Taiwan Strait negotiations and in establishing direct transportation services between the two sides.

The president reiterated his resolve to transform Taiwan into a regional peacemaker, insisting that the "Chinese civil war of the 1940s must never happen again, " but he acknowledged the task would require considerable effort.

"Peace never comes easily, because over 1,000 missiles deployed by Beijing are still aimed at Taiwan," he said.

The 2009 International Leadership Conference is jointly sponsored by several nongovernmental organizations, including the Women's Federation for World Peace, Taiwan, R.O.C., and the Universal Peace Federation, with an aim to provide a platform for countries to exchange views and discuss solutions to major issues.

(By Flor Wang)