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TAIWAN CANNOT OPERATE NORMALLY WITHOUT U.N. MEMBERSHIP: ENVOY

ROC Central News Agency

2005-09-14 16:16:09

    New York, Sept. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's top envoy in New York City stated in a radio interview Tuesday the difficulties that the nation has experienced in its bid to join the United Nations, saying that the government cannot operate normally without membership of international organizations.

    The interview with Andrew Hsia, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, was conducted on the eve of the opening of the 60th U.N. General Assembly with the aim of discussing issues related to Taiwan's U.N. bid and the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

    Hsia said that for many countries, obtaining U.N. membership seems to be a natural thing, but pointed out that Taiwan has encountered many difficulties in its bid to join the organization. "The Taiwan government and its people will be unable to operate normally nor to make more contributions to the international community if they cannot join international organizations, " he said, claiming that although Taiwan has tried to give assistance to the victims of various disasters, the donations have been refused by international organizations.

    As China's military buildup over the past few years has created an imbalance of military power between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, Hsia said this is why Taiwan's allies hope the United Nations can play an active role in maintaining peace in the strait. "This is also why they have jointly raised a motion in support of Taiwan's U.N. bid and have expressed the hope that the U.N. Standing Committee will place the motion on the agenda of this year's U.N. General Assembly," he said.

    Asked whether Taiwan worries that closer economic and trade relations between China and the United States will lead Washington to give less support to the country, Hsia said that Taiwan-U.S. relations have a solid historical background and are based on the common values of freedom and democracy with a legal basis supplied by the Taiwan Relations Act, but he added that Taiwan expects more support from the United States.

    He also said that many factors will affect the development of cross-strait relations.

(By Lillian Lin and P.C. Tang)

ENDITEM/J