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US mum on WHO vote

The US on Wednesday declined to explain its vote to support a China-backed rule governing implementation of the WHO's International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 -- a move seen in Taiwan as a denial of Taiwanese rights under the regulations.

In a statement issued by the State Department, the administration of US President George W. Bush repeated earlier statements that it supports "meaningful participation" by Taiwan in the WHO, a position rejected last year by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) as "meaningless."

The department was responding to questions about the US vote on a measure approved by the WHO Executive Board that would reinforce China's position that it should speak and intercede for Taiwan in the WHO under the IHR 2005, whose implementation is to be discussed at the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May.

In doing so, the US helped scuttle a competing pro-Taiwan measure, introduced by Taiwan's ally, Paraguay, that emphasized the universality of the regulations, which was seen as a move to give Taiwan greater latitude in speaking and acting for itself in international health emergencies and other matters.

In the end, the board voted 25 to 3 against Taiwan, with only Taiwan's allies Paraguay, El Salvador and Sao Tome and Principe voting against the China measure.

Taiwan's representative to Geneva, Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡), tried to put a positive spin on Wednesday's defeat, telling reporters after the vote that Taiwan "did not lose" as the "universal application" clause proposed by Taiwan's allies, also known as the "Taiwan clause," was included in the amendment.

The vote itself was clouded in controversy, after China engineered the defeat of the pro-Taiwan proposal by convincing the board to advance the vote to a time when most of Taiwan's allies were absent, assuring the defeat of the pro-Taiwan proposal, and opening the way for approval of the pro-China alternative.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday condemned the WHO board for its pro-China vote and for denying a fair hearing for the pro-Taiwan proposal, complaining that China ambushed the vote.

In response to questions from Taiwanese reporters, the State Department issued a statement prepared before the WHO board vote, but which did not directly respond to the reason for the US' pro-China vote.

"There is no change in the US position," the department said. "The United States does not support Taiwan's membership in organizations that require statehood, such as the WHO. But we have also made it clear for many years that we are strongly in favor of arrangements that will allow the people of Taiwan to benefit from public health programs available through the WHO."

"We support meaningful participation including assembly observership for Taiwan in this organization," the department said.

"It has long been US policy to support universal application of the International Health Regulations that are currently being worked out in the WHO," it said.

"Meaningful participation," as used by the US, refers to the inclusion of Taiwanese experts only in a non-official capacity under the IHR. Taiwan has been seeking an official role in global health protection matters under the WHO and regards the US position as insufficient to protect the health interests of Taiwanese.

However, the State Department's Wednesday statement was the first time the Bush administration expanded "meaningful participation" to include observer status for Taiwan in the WHA, something Taiwan had unsuccessfully sought for years.

In a confidential report to Congress last year, the State Department voiced opposition to a WHA vote on Taiwan's observer status, arguing that it expected Taiwan to lose the vote so badly it would set back Taiwan's bid to participate in the global health body.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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