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Washington File

21 May 2003

Text: Senate's Second Ranking Democrat Wants Taiwan Observers in WHO

(Senator Reid on World Health Organization, spread of SARS) (280)
Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid (Democrat of Nevada) says the failure
of the World Health Organization (WHO) to give observer status to
Taiwan has hindered Taipei's efforts to halt the spread of severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) among its population of 23 million.
In remarks to the Senate May 20, Reid, the second ranking Democrat in
the Senate, said the SARS crisis highlighted the need for Taiwan to
have observer status in the WHO.
Following are the May 20 remarks of Senator Harry Reid from the
Congressional Record:
(begin text)
GRANTING TAIWAN MEMBERSHIP TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Senate
May 20, 2003
Mr. REID. Mr. President, 3 years ago today, Chen Shui-bian was
democratically elected President of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
Under President Chen's strong leadership, Taiwan has remained true to
its democratic values and has continued to be a model for its
neighbors in the region. But as the Taiwanese people prepare to
celebrate the third anniversary of their President's election, they
also are struggling to contain the recent outbreak of Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome, SARS, in their country. The WHO's refusal to
grant membership or even observer status to Taiwan has hindered the
Nation's ability to halt the spread of SARS, and has placed the health
of all 23 million Taiwanese in jeopardy. This crisis highlights
Taiwan's urgent need to obtain observer status in the WHO.
I urge the WHO to give Taiwan access to all the resources it needs to
fight SARS so that President Chen can be as successful in the coming
years as he has been during the last 3.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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