Lien Chan, president of the Kuomintang (KMT), Friday said he is pleased to accept the official invitation for him to visit the mainland by the mainland side, according to reports by local media.

Lien said this at a news conference in Tokyo, which was held for Japan-based reporters from Taiwan.

Lien is now in Japan to visit the 2005 Aichi Expo.

The Kuomintang (KMT) delegation has completed all its tasks for the mainland journey, smoothly, said KMT Vice President Chiang Pin-kung at the airport, when he and other members of the delegation arrived at the Taoyuan International Airport, in Taipei, Friday evening.

Chiang held a news conference at the airport. He described the mainland tour a "remembrance, business and bridge-building" one.

He recalled the delegation's mainland tour and meetings with mainland officials including Jia Qinglin, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau.

According to Chiang, Jia invited KMT President Lien Chan to visit the mainland, on behalf of CPC Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao.

What has been agreed in the talks between the KMT delegation and the mainland side will be very helpful for promoting the cross-Straits economic and trade exchanges, he said.

During the tour, from March 28 to April 1, the delegation visited the KMT martyr's tomb, in Guangzhou, the Sun Yat-sen Tomb, in Nanjing, and the Sun Yat-sen's Cenotaph, in Beijing.

Chiang said that this trip has made him better aware about the greatness of Mr. Sun Yat-sen whose enormous achievements are worth memorizing.

The other major purpose of the KMT delegation's visit is to build up a "makeshift bridge" for the cross-Straits communication and realizing "cross-Straits harmony", according to the KMT vice president.