Sat, May 14, 2005 page2

• WHO lobby turning aggressive

  HARDER LINE Years of fighting China for the right to merely observe the activities of the World Health Organization is taking its toll, as lobbyists look for a stronger message

  • By Chiu Yu-Tzu / STAFF REPORTER
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  Taiwan might need to adopt a more aggressive strategy and fight for membership rather than observer status in the World Health Organization (WHO), lobbyists in Berlin said yesterday.

  Following visits to Britain and Luxembourg, a group composed of activists, medical professionals and legislators yesterday completed their lobbying mission in Germany.

  Accompanied by Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), the nation's representative to Germany, the lobbyists met with a dozen members of parliament and NGO representatives on Thursday and received a friendly response.

  However, Wu Shuh-min (吳樹民), president of the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan and an adviser to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), yesterday said that it remained uncertain what influence the members of parliament and NGOs would be able to exert on the other EU members under pressure from China.

  Wu said Taiwan had been searching for a legal channel to participate in the WHO for eight years but had failed because of China's relentless interference.

  "We are going to urge Taiwan's government to adopt a more aggressive strategy in fighting for entry into the WHO, and even the United Nations. The degree of difficulty is similar. Why should Taiwan downgrade itself in fighting for a mere observership?" Wu said at a press conference in Berlin yesterday.

  Wu said the message would be clearly delivered in Geneva, where the World Health Assembly's (WHA) annual meeting begins on Monday.

  This year, the WHA will discuss revision of the International Health Regulations and a draft global immunization strategy.

  The government hopes that Taiwan will be included in the IHR, which could provide a window of communication with the WHO Secretariat.

  Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) said that urging the government to demand WHO membership would promote Taiwan as an independent and sovereign state deserving of world recognition.

  Yeh said that Western countries were fully aware of China's obstruction of Taiwan's participation in the international community.

  "For example, Germany has a very bad feeling about China enacting its `Anti-Secession' Law," Yeh said.

  But some Germans were confused about the visits by opposition leaders to China and their apparent embrace of Beijing's so-called "goodwill," Yeh said.

  Yeh added that the reality of Taiwan's plight in the international community had never been appreciated back home.

  "I strongly urge opposition leaders [Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman] Lien Chan (連戰) and [People First Party Chairman] James Soong (宋楚瑜) to go to Geneva next year and experience how harsh China can be in preventing Taiwan's participation in the WHO," Yeh said.

  "Health issues are more important than trade. Looking back at the SARS situation in 2003, without Taiwan's aggressive actions, the epidemic might not have been contained," Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator George Liu (劉寬平) said.

  Although the lobbyists did not receive any clear response from the German government on WHO participation, Shieh told the Taipei Times that more channels would be built to deliver Taiwan's message and create a "Taiwanese image" in Germany.

  The lobbyists and activists will head for Geneva today and distribute pamphlets describing Taiwan's hope for a day when it will be included in the world health community and can work with other countries in an effort to improve health for all people.

  Also see story:

  Editorial: Taiwan focuses on Geneva
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