BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and its Taiwan counterpart, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), on Thursday agreed to set up representative offices to each other's side.

    Pang Chien-kuo, SEF deputy secretary-general, told the press here the agreement was made at the meeting between ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin and SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kun Thursday morning.

    The offices would be founded to facilitate people's exchanges and traveling across the Strait, he said.

    The issue would be discussed in the following meetings between the two sides, he added.

    SEF and ARATS are authorized non-governmental organizations (NGO) engaged in talks on issues related to cross-Strait exchanges.

    The two sides started negotiations for weekend chartered flights and mainland tourists traveling to Taiwan Thursday.