The newly formed Congressional Taiwan Caucus is facing its first challenge this week as it tries to convince the George W. Bush administration to put teeth behind its commitment to support Taiwan's participation in the WHO.
Leaders of the caucus expressed dismay over a report made public Wednesday by the State Department, which failed to come up with a congressionally mandated plan to assure Taiwan's observer status for next month's annual meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.
The four co-chairmen of the Taiwan Caucus are drafting a letter to the department to urge a stronger commitment, and that letter is expected to be finalized and released over the next few days, congressional sources told the Taipei Times.
Representative Robert Wexler, a Democrat and the main force behind the creation of the caucus, was "disturbed" over the State Department report, an aide to Wexler said.
Wexler and other Taiwan supporters on Capitol Hill were upset that the department's report did not do what Congress had asked it to do. Rather, the report gave reasons why Taiwan's participation is unlikely.
The letter, which will be sent to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, according to a congressional source, will explain "how the State Department can strengthen its response for Taiwan's inclusion in the World Health Organization."
The law passed by Congress last month required the department specifically to devise a plan for Taiwan's participation in the WHO.
However, the report did not outline such a plan or make a specific commitment to secure Taiwan's observer status. Rather, it noted that Taiwan "does not have sufficient support" in the WHO to secure such status, and appeared to leave the matter at that.
The Taiwan Caucus, which was officially formed earlier this month, has attracted the membership of more than 85 House members, a number that is expected to rise to 100 in the near future. Its membership includes Taiwan's greatest supporters in Congress.
Many senior members of the Bush administration are also big Taiwan supporters.
"We think that we have widespread support" in the administration, a congressional source said. "It just may be getting to a point where there needs to be a more aggressive approach on behalf of the administration," he said.
"The Congress feels that the administration can be more proactive in this measure, and we are confident that by working with the State Department we can reach a point that all parties agree that the US is doing everything it can to get Taiwan the right to participate in the WHA," he said.
Last week, some 70 members of the House signed a letter to Bush urging him to personally push for Taiwan's participation in this spring's WHA, and the House leadership issued a lengthy policy statement backing Taiwan's observer status.
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