MOFA promises to take pragmatic approach to UN bid

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will study and work pragmatically to materialize President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) idea of Taiwan seeking to enter the UN under the name of "Taiwan," a MOFA spokesman said yesterday.

Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said that Taiwan has tried over the past 12 years to enter the UN with the title of "Republic of China," but this has not been met favorably by the international community.

Lu said that Chen's advocacy is not only an effort to safeguard the interests of Taiwan's people, but also makes known Taiwan's resolve to take part in international organizations and related activities.

Chen said during a campaign rally a on Thursday that Taiwan should make its bid to join the UN using the name "Taiwan" rather than "Republic of China."

He also promised that he would lead Taiwan to become one of the members of the World Health Assembly (WHA) within two years, saying that Taiwan is a sovereign nation of 23 million people whose rights and interests cannot be excluded from international society.