The long-pending nomination of Douglas Paal as America's de facto ambassador is expected to be announced today, the Taipei Times has learned.
The Times was told yesterday that the nomination of Paal as the Taipei director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is scheduled to be announced simultaneously by the US State Department and the Presidential Office in Taipei today.
Sources in the Presidential Office said that President Chen Shui-bian (
The statement will also stress that the government believes the long process of Paal's nomination reflects US concerns about its close ties with Taiwan.
Paal's postponed nomination was due to questions surrounding the funding for his think tank, the Asia Pacific Policy Center.
There had also been skepticism about Paal's political stance on Taiwan by congressional conservatives such as Senator Jesse Helms, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Meanwhile, US President George W. Bush has signed a bill to support Taiwan's bid to become an observer at an annual assembly of the World Health Organization next month, the foreign ministry said yesterday.
The bill, which Bush signed on Thursday, authorizes the US State Department to develop a plan to help Taiwan gain observer status and comes a month after the EU passed a similar resolution.
Taiwan wants to attend the World Health Assembly, which is the highest governing body of the WHO. This year's assembly will meet from May 13 to 18.
China objects to Taiwan's participation in international meetings.
The foreign ministry statement said the ministry would use the support of the US to get more countries to back its bid to become an observer.
"This shows that our appeals to the international community are gaining support and sympathy," the statement said.
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