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MOFA regrets exclusion of Taiwan's bid from General Assembly agenda

ROC Central News Agency

2007-09-20 12:15:56

    Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed regret Thursday at the exclusion of the issue of Taiwan's U.N. membership bid from the agenda of the current session of the General Assembly.

    MOFA spokesman Wang Chien-yeh accused Srgjan Kerim, president of the 62nd session of the General Assembly, of violating rules of procedure of the assembly for refusing to allow full discussion of the issue at the General Committee before ruling not to put it on the agenda.

    Meanwhile, Wang thanked Taiwan's diplomatic allies which spoke up for the country at the committee's meeting Wednesday to set the agenda of the session that opened a day earlier at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

    Proposed as a supplementary item on the agenda was a motion endorsed by 16 of Taiwan's allies requesting that the Security Council process Taiwan's membership application according to rules of procedure of the council and the U.N. Charter.

    During the General Committee meeting, Kerim suggested that a two-on-two debate be held on the proposal, which met immediate objections from Taiwan's allies, including Palau, Gambia and Honduras, which insisted that the proposal be opened to discussion by all committee members, according to Wang.

    In a counter move, China had its allies speak in support of a two-on-two debate, and the situation prompted Kerim to call a vote to resolve the dispute.

    While the vote turned out 24-3 in favor of a two-on-two debate, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Solomon Islands took part in the debate in support of Taiwan, against China and Egypt.

    At the end of the debate, Kerim ruled that the motion on Taiwan's membership application should not be included on the agenda, on the grounds that the committee had not reached a consensus on the matter.

    Wang said Taiwan is not surprised at the development and believes that the issue has received significant attention by international media despite the failure.

    He further said the government will continue to promote the bid, adding that the country's allies are expected to raise the issue again in the plenary meetings.

    Taiwan has not been represented in the United Nations since 1971, when the Republic of China's U.N. seat was taken over by the People's Republic of China. While the country has tried without success to re-enter the United Nations since 1993, it is bidding to join the world body under the name Taiwan this year for the first time.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/Li