TAIWAN leader Ma Ying-jeou greeted visiting mainland envoy Chen Yunlin, becoming the island's first leader to meet with a senior mainland official since the end of the civil war in 1949.

The two men shook hands and exchanged gifts during the landmark meeting at a guest house in central Taipei amid tight security. Chen, head of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), presented Ma with an ink painting of a horse -- by famed painter Han Meilin -- as "ma" is Chinese for horse. Ma gave Chen a ceramic vase.

Ma, referring to the 60 years of hostilities between the two sides, made a short speech to a room packed with officials and their wives, as well as television cameras and photographers.

Their meeting, which was broadcast live, lasted around five minutes.

Ma said Chen, the highest-ranking mainland negotiator ever to visit Taiwan, has had a fruitful trip. The meetings this week between Taiwanese and mainland officials, which saw the two sides sign a range of economic agreements, "symbolize a major step forward for cross-Straits ties."

"The development fits the expectations of the people of both sides and will contribute to cross-Straits stability and prosperity," Ma said.

Ma said differences and challenges still remained between the mainland and Taiwan. He expressed his hope that the two sides would handle the differences with a positive attitude. He hoped for more high-level visits between the mainland and Taiwan.

Chen arrived for a five-day visit Monday. He and local counterpart Chiang Pin-kung, head of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), signed four deals to introduce direct cargo shipping and postal services, increase passenger flights and shorten routes across the Taiwan Straits, and cooperate on food safety.

According to a deal Thursday signed between Chen and Taipei Mayor Au Long-bin, two giant pandas donated by the mainland will arrive in Taiwan soon. According to the Taipei city zoo, the panda pair are likely to arrive in mid-December.

"They are likely to meet the public around the Spring Festival after a one-month quarantine," a zoo official said. The Spring Festival falls on Jan. 26, 2009.

The mainland also offered Taiwan 17 Nyssaceae seedlings, a rare flowering plant that grows on the mainland only. Chen said the plants were gifts from the Qiang minority group in Wenchuan, a county in Sichuan Province devastated by the May 12 earthquake.

SEF chairman Chiang accepted the gifts and said Taiwan would take good care of the pandas and plants to ensure they grow healthily.

Chen accepted the offer of two rare animals from Taiwan. One is an indigenous goat with the scientific name of Naemorhedus swinhoei, the other, a spotted deer.

On Wednesday. hundreds of supporters of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party gathered at the hotel in Taipei where Chen was attending a dinner. Chen was reported to have left the hotel after a six-hour stand-off between them and police.

Ma's meeting with Chen, which had originally been planned for 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, was rescheduled to 11 a.m. because of security concerns.

(SD-Agencies)