US Senator Robert Torricelli came up with a bill Tuesday demanding that the administration of US President George W. Bush help Taiwan obtain observer status at this year's WHO annual conference scheduled for May.
Senate sources said Wednesday the content of the Torricelli-authored bill is the same as that of one passed by the House of Representatives last December.
Both bills express full support for Taiwan's bid to join the Geneva-based organization as an observer and authorize the US secretary of state to draw up a comprehensive plan to help Taiwan realize this goal at this year's annual WHO conference.
The Torricelli-drafted bill also demands that the secretary of state present a written report containing the above-mentioned action plan to Congress within two weeks after the bill clears the Senate floor.
The House approved the Representative Sherrod Brown-initiated bill in mid-December last year. The bill was then referred to the Senate for deliberation. However, the Senate has so far not listed the bill on its agenda.
Against this backdrop, Torricelli decided to present a new bill with exactly the same content as the House version. Congressional sources said Torricelli is seeking Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden's consent to have the bill brought up directly for Senate discussion and approval.
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