A senior US State Department official on Wednesday defended the Bush administration's support for South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon as the next UN secretary-general, in the face of congressional concern about Seoul's pro-China tilt under Ban's tenure, and the potential effect the appointment might have on Taiwan.
Responding to a question at a congressional hearing on US-South Korean relations, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs Christopher Hill described Ban as a "very professional diplomat" who is "very interested in the overall situation in Northeast Asia."
Congressional concern over Ban's likely elevation to the top UN post and the potential impact on Taiwan's international position was revealed last week.
That concern centers on whether Ban would do Beijing's bidding in trying to stymie Taiwan's bid to participate in international organizations and if he would withstand China's efforts to isolate Taiwan internationally.
In the past two "straw poll" votes in the UN Security Council, Ban led a field of several Asian candidates for the top UN post, with 14 or 15 votes in his favor. The only negative vote, according to sources, was cast by Japan.
The Security Council was to conduct a third vote yesterday, which could be decisive in cementing Ban's election by the General Assembly next month, according to some observers.
The UN has decided that the next secretary-general will be Asian, the first since Burma's U Thant retired in 1971.
Hill recalled his close contacts with Ban in recent years in connection with US efforts to deal with North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
"He is someone that we have worked with very closely throughout this process, and [I] would not categorize his views as pro-Chinese. I would characterize them as pro-Republic of Korea. We find him a very, very professional diplomat," Hill said.
He said Ban "has had a great deal of experience serving in the United States, and we have worked with him very, very closely on some very tough issues. He is a very, very consummate professional."
Hill was responding to a question by Republican Representative Thomas Tancredo, a staunch supporter of Taiwan in the House of Representatives.
The congressman was voicing concerns expressed by some congressional staffers that Ban would be antagonistic to Taiwan if he took the top UN post.
"I think there are many in Tokyo, and certainly here in Washington, who are troubled by the possibility of Mr. Ban's election because of his very pro-China views," Tancredo said.
He noted that under Ban, South Korea's Foreign Ministry had rejected a visa application for the Dalai Lama to attend a Seoul meeting of Nobel Peace Prize laureates last spring after Beijing asked Seoul not to issue the exiled Tibetan leader a visa.
"[Ban] went on to say that any future visa decisions would be made only after consultation with Beijing," the congressman said, expressing "deep concern about the Department of State's position on this."
Tancredo said he understood that "there are concerns, especially at State, about Taiwan, its relationship to the United States and to China."
However, he said: "I'm worried about the degree to which we would further do something that would damage the relationship with a country, I believe a country, a nation I call Taiwan, that is a dear friend," if Ban became UN secretary-general with the support of the US.
Tancredo also cited news reports that Seoul's foreign policy establishment under Ban had resisted a US plan to move US forces based in South Korea to the Taiwan Strait in the case of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
In response to Tancredo's comments, Hill said: "We're satisfied currently with the understanding that we have with the Republic of Korea with regard to the US forces that are currently stationed in the Republic of Korea."
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