Washington continues to support Taiwan's efforts to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA), but the current global crisis over the mysterious respiratory ailment epidemic has apparently not raised the issue to a high level on the government's radar screen, officials and other observers say.
The World Health Assembly is the working body of the WHO.
In the wake of the House of Representative's approval of a bill last week pushing the State Department to secure Taiwan's role as an observer at this May's World Health Assembly in Geneva, the department is no closer to complying with a request by dozens of members of the Taiwan Congressional Caucus to meet on the issue, congressional sources say.
The congressmen, 64 of whom signed the letter late last month, are seeking a meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell or a senior deputy to find out what the administration's strategy will be to push for Taiwan's participation in Geneva.
So far, they have not received a response from the department.
However, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Randall Schriver Wednesday reiterated the administration's support for Taiwan's role in the WHO and indicated the department's willingness to talk with the congressmen.
"We support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization. That's been made clear ... and that position remains unchanged," Schriver told the Taipei Times in a brief interview after he appeared at a congressional hearing dealing with China.
Asked whether the respiratory disease adds urgency to Taiwan's need for participation and the US' support, Schriver said, "I think it goes far beyond that; they should be allowed participation.
"We've actively promoted [that participation] and we will continue to do so," he said.
He also said he and other department officials would be "happy" to meet with the members of the Taiwan Congressional Caucus.
Meanwhile, prospects for Senate passage of a bill parallel to the House-passed measure were uncertain.
Both the House and the Senate must approve identical bills, and the president must sign it, for the legislation to become law. Taiwan supporters are seeking the quickest action possible, in view of the short time frame between now and the WHA meeting.
Senator George Allen of Virginia, whose district includes many Taiwan-American voters, is pushing a bill he and other senators introduced earlier this year that parallels the House bill.
Taiwan lobbyists and other supporters have pushed for quicker action by letting the House bill go right to the Senate majority leader for scheduling in the Senate calendar, a procedure that could insure quick action.
But if the Allen bill works its way through the legislative procedure, including action by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it could take longer before it is approved.
Senate committee ranking Democrat, Joseph Biden, has told Taiwan supporters he would accept having the Allen bill bypass the committee and go directly to the floor.
The congressional caucus is "disappointed" that the WHO is not working with Taiwan, a congressional source said. "This is a perfect example of why Taiwan should be included in the WHO," he said.
The source expressed satisfaction that the administration of President George W. Bush has decided to send experts from the Center for Disease Control to Taiwan to help local health officials.
When a congressional meeting with Powell does occur, "I can tell you that this outbreak is going to be high on their list of conversations with the administration," the congressional source said.
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