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U.N. position on Taiwan's membership application unchanged: official

ROC Central News Agency

2007-08-02 11:49:04

    New York, Aug. 1 (CNA) The United Nations' position on Taiwan's participation in the world body has not changed despite Taiwan's request for the world body to reconsider its membership application, a U.N. official said Wednesday.

    After its first application was returned by the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs July 23, Taiwan submitted a second application to the United Nations July 31 in two letters signed by President Chen Shui-bian and addressed separately to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Wang Guangya, China's permanent representative to the United Nations who served as rotating president of the U.N. Security Council for July.

    Asked about the matter during a daily press briefing, Marie Okabe, deputy spokeswoman for the secretary-general, said she could not confirm at this point whether the United Nations has made an official response to the latest move by Taiwan. "But our position has not changed since the last time we were asked," Okabe added.

    Okabe noted that the previous application was returned in keeping with U.N. Resolution 2758, which she said is the basis of the "one China" policy of the United Nations.

    She was referring to the resolution adopted by the General Assembly in 1971 recognizing the representatives of the People's Republic of China government as "the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations" and expelling representatives of the Republic of China.

    Responding to a question on the issue by a CNA reporter last week, Ban pointed out that U.N. membership is only granted to sovereign countries and that the position of the United Nations is that "Taiwan is part of China."

    Meanwhile, Wang told U.N. correspondents Wednesday that he returned Chen's letter the same day that he received it.

    China's state-controlled Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang as calling Taiwan's latest move "a very serious separatist act seeking independence for Taiwan."

    Expressing firm opposition to the move, Wang stressed that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, according to Xinhua.

    In the latest letter to Ban, President Chen argued that U.N. Resolution 2758 neither grants China the right to represent Taiwan at the United Nations nor states that Taiwan is either a part of China or the People's Republic of China.

    Chen asserted that Taiwan is an independent sovereign nation and that its people have the right to participate in the United Nations.

    In addition, Chen urged Ban to process Taiwan's application according to due procedure, because only the Security Council and the General Assembly have the authority to review and decide on membership applications and "the U.N. Secretariat does not have the power to decide on such matters."

    The Republic of China has tried without success to re-enter the United Nations since 1993. This year marks the first time it has changed tactics by bidding to join the world body under the name of "Taiwan."

(By Hwang Jaw-pyng and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/Li