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Senate
Unanimously Passes Bill Authorizing State Dept. Plan For
Taiwan's WHO Observer Status
For immediate release
March 19, 2002
The
Senate today unanimously passed legislation (HR2739) To
amend Public Law 10710 to require a United States plan
to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the
annual summit of the World Health Assembly in May 2002 in
Geneva, Switzerland, and for other purposes.
"Our positive action here today is both an act
of leadership itself and a call for leadership by the State
Department to actively implement a concrete plan for Taiwan's
participation in the WHO," commented Senator Robert
Torricelli (D-NJ) in a prepared statement.
The bill concludes that:
"The
Secretary of State is authorized--
(1)
to initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain observer
status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the
World Health Assembly in May 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland;
and
(2)
to instruct the United States delegation to Geneva to implement
that plan.
(c)
REPORT.--Not later than 14 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a written
report to the Congress in unclassified form containing the
plan authorized under subsection (b)."
"Today's
Senate action neatly complements the European Parliament's
unanimous passage of a resolution last week calling on members
of the European Union to support Taiwan's observer status
application," stated FAPA President Ming-chi Wu, PhD.
"Momentum is now on Taiwan's side .
I hope that the US State Department will seize this
opportunity to right the wrong of Taiwan's exclusion from
international organizations like the WHO.
FAPA plans to write to all WHO members and encourage
them to vote for Taiwan's participation as soon as possible."
For
further information, contact Coen Blaauw at 202-547-3686.
Mandarin
Press Release
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