On Sept. 8, US Representative Tom Tancredo, a Republican wrote a letter to UN Ambassador John Bolton in support of Taiwan's membership in the UN. Tancredo was joined by Representative Dana Rohrbacher (Republican), Representative Robert Andrews (Democrat) and Representative Steve Chabot (Republican).
Tancredo, a member of the House International Relations Committee, wrote: "Taiwan is a stable, democratic presence in Asia, a bulwark of support for human rights and a world economic power, home to a thriving multi-party democracy with free and fair elections held at all levels of government. It is, by all measures, a sovereign country -- and it should be treated as such."
"Taiwan is a free country ruled by freely elected people ... Taiwan should be a member of the United Nations," Rohrbacher added.
Taiwan is the only country in the world that is denied UN membership. Only by admitting Taiwan to full membership in the UN can the principle of universality be satisfied.
The preamble to the UN Charter states: "We the peoples of the United Nations [are] determined to reaffirm the faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small."
Article 1 of the Charter states that the purposes of the UN are, "(1) to maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace ... (2) to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples."
Taiwan's admission to the UN would enable the UN to put in practice the lofty ideals and purposes stipulated in the UN Charter. Exclusion of Taiwan due to political expediency weakens the UN and makes a mockery of the UN's missions and efficacy.
If political realities make Taiwan's membership in the UN unfeasible at present, the General Assembly should at least consider urging the PRC to renounce the use of force in solving its dispute with Taiwan, and to respect the right of the people of Taiwan to freely choose their form of government and the legal status of Taiwan without outside pressure or coercion.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan could be asked to convene a regional conference of East Asian states with the explicit purpose of easing tensions in the region, including the Taiwan Strait.
If the General Assembly can accomplish these tasks, the UN would take a giant step towards realizing the kind of world envisioned by its founding members.
Li Thian-hok is a freelance political commentator based in Pennsylvania.
RSS