The annual effort in Washington to push for Taiwan's participation in the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) got into gear this week, as 64 members of Congress wrote a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell urging the George W. Bush administration's support and the House prepared to move on a resolution supporting Taipei's drive to take part.
At the same time, Taiwan's supporters in Washington say they have secured the commitment of Japan's Foreign Ministry to follow Washington in speaking out in support of Taiwan, if the US government acts first.
They also say they hope to secure a similar commitment from the EU.
In their letter, the congressmen vented publicly for the first time their frustration and dismay over the State Department's action on the WHO issue last year, when the department effectively refused to support Taipei in deference to China's opposition, citing Beijing's success in rounding up votes in the WHO against Taiwan.
The representatives asked for a meeting with Powell "as soon as possible" to discuss the matter.
At issue is this May's Geneva meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA). For years, Taiwan has attempted, unsuccessfully, to gain "observer status" at the meeting, the WHO's premier gathering.
While China has easily managed to get the members of WHO's Executive Board to keep Taiwan's participation off the agenda, Taiwan's supporters have tried to get the US and other members to make an attempt on the floor of the meeting to overturn the board's decision and add Taiwan to the agenda.
Taipei has steadily gained ground, but is still far away from a majority vote. While the US has given oral support to Taiwan, it has not engaged in the active lobbying Taiwan's backers have hoped for.
Last year, in a report mandated by Congress, Powell wrote off Taiwan's chances, saying it "does not have sufficient support among WHO member states for its observer bid," and failed to make any commitment to work for Taipei's participation.
"We hope that the United States strongly supports Taiwan's efforts to obtain observer status in the WHA," the congressional letter this week said. "We believe that a laundry list of obstacles to Taiwan's candidacy, as contained in the State Department's report to Congress is not helpful"
"The United States must take a more proactive approach if we are to advance Taiwan's interests and avoid the pitfalls of last spring," the letter says, urging a "clear and uncompromising declaration of US support for Taiwan's candidacy for observer status on the floor of the WHA itself, before the assembled delegates."
Meanwhile, sources say that the House International Relations Committee is expected to take up within the next week or two a bill introduced last month urging Powell to devise a plan to obtain observer status at the WHA this May.
The bill also urges Powell to instruct the US delegation in Geneva to implement that plan, and issue an early report on details of that plan.
Passage of the bill by the committee is considered a foregone conclusion in view of committee chairman Henry Hyde's solid pro-Taiwan philosophy. Taiwan's supporters hope that the full House can take up the bill shortly after the committee acts, and that the Senate would work on a parallel bill at an early date.
A similar bill was approved by Congress last year.
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