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Friend of Taiwan quits his US post

Torkel L. Patterson, a US official with a reputation for being pro-Taiwan, has resigned from his Asian affairs post at the US National Security Council (NSC).

"Private reasons" were cited for the resignation, which became effective Friday, US government sources said.

Patterson's post as a special assistant to the president and senior director for Asian affairs at the NSC would be temporarily taken over by the incumbent deputy senior director James F. Moriarty, sources said.

Moriarty was the chief of the general affairs (political) section at the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan from 1996 to 1998. Prior to joining the NSC, Moriarty was counselor for political affairs at the American embassy in Beijing.

US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice announced Patterson's appointment to the NSC on March 2, last year.

Sources said Patterson flew to California on Friday afternoon for his son's wedding ceremony, and it remained unclear what his plans were after leaving the government.

Sources said that "personal reasons" prompted Patterson's resignation, adding there was no rift between Patterson and US President George W. Bush's administration, nor was Patterson involved in any scandal after joining the current US administration last year.

Patterson's resignation would not affect Bush's upcoming visit to China next month, nor would it affect ties between Taiwan and Washington, sources in Washington and Taipei said.

"The general framework and orientation of Taiwan-US relations and amiable ties between the two sides have already been in place for the past one year or so," said Katharine Chang (張小月), spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"I don't think the good relations between the two countries will change because of any individual's departure from the US government," Chang said of Patterson's resignation.

Deemed quick-witted and friendly to Taiwan, the former NSC official is known for his penetrating views on cross-strait relations and has thought highly of the nation's democratization.

When Patterson met with Zhou Mingwei (周明偉), the deputy minister of Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office, during Zhou's visit to Washington last week, Zhou revealed to Patterson that China intended to increase its contacts with the DPP.

Zhou also hinted that Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛), would issue an important statement on cross-strait ties soon, sources said.

Qian signaled Beijing's softer line on Thursday, saying only a small number of members of the DPP were separatists. Qian also invited DPP members to visit the mainland in an "appropriate status" and called for closer economic ties now that both sides have joined the WTO.

Prior to joining the NSC, Patterson worked for defense contractor Raytheon in a senior capacity between 1998 and 2000.

Between 1994 and 1998, he headed a Honolulu-based small- business development consulting firm and concurrently was a senior associate of the Pacific Forum, CSIS, a think tank.

Patterson served as director of Asian affairs on the NSC staff from 1991 to 1993, and as senior director for Japan in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, in the US Department of Defense, from 1988 to 1991.

The retired naval officer is a native of Seal Beach, California, but he claims Hawaii as his home state. 　
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