Taiwan to focus on joining U.N. agencies: foreign ministry
ROC Central News Agency
2009/06/07 16:28:53
Taipei, June 7 (CNA) Taiwan will make greater efforts to take part in United Nations-affiliated activities and join U.N.
specialized agencies as a member, rather than renewing its campaign for direct participation in the U.N., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Sunday.
A MOFA official told the Central News Agency that while the ministry could ask Taiwan's diplomatic allies as it did last year to submit a proposal to the U.N. Secretariat calling for reconsideration of Taiwan's bid to meaningfully take part in U.N. specialized agencies, the MOFA is considering a different approach.
"Taiwan may also choose to be more realistic and not submit a U.N. proposal at all this year," said the official.
"It would be easier to maintain our efforts of the past, but we consider it as unrealistic to try to force a way into the U.N., which is politically a highly sensitive matter," said the official.
Instead, the Foreign Ministry will seek this year to gain a foothold in one or two U.N. agencies using the pragmatic approach that enabled Taiwan to take part in the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva in mid-May, he added.
"We will work out solid action plans to seek international support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in U.N.-affiliated activities, he said. "Of course, this is presuming that mainland China does not oppose such efforts." "Our priority is to seek entry to the United Nations' 15 specialized agencies, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which develops international standards for aviation safety and the International Marine Organization (IMO) which is concerned with the safety of shipping and cleaner oceans, " he added.
Because of Taiwan's absence from the ICAO, for example, there is gap in the global aviation safety network because the Taipei Flight Information Region, located in the center of Southeast Asia, covers a vast air space of 176,000 square nautical miles in which 12 international air routes and four domestic air routes operate, he pointed out.
In the case of the IMO, he said, although Taiwan ranks 10th in the world in terms of ocean navigation capability, it has no access to first-hand navigation information and seamen identification issued in Taiwan is often questioned around the world because Taiwan is not an IMO member.
President Ma Ying-jeou recently attributed Taiwan's success in gaining admission to the World Health Organization (WHO) annual executive assembly this year mainly to his administration's pragmatic policies and improved Taiwan-China relations over the past several months.
The previous Democratic Progressive Party administration applied in 2007 for the first time for Taiwan to join the U.N. as a full member under the name "Taiwan." However, that proposal did not make it onto the agenda of the U.N. General Assembly.
Since 1993, Taiwan's supporters have been trying to get the General Assembly to list Taiwan's application for admission on the U.N. agenda, but Beijing's argument that Taiwan is part of China has prevailed.
Taiwan has not been represented in the world body since 1971, when the Republic of China's seat was given to the People's Republic of China, and it has been trying unsuccessfully to have the United Nations consider the issue of its representation since 1993.
In a departure from the 2007 approach of pushing for full membership under the name Taiwan, the country in 2008 promoted a bid to "participate meaningfully in the activities of the U.N.
specialized agencies," in line with Ma's "modus vivendi" diplomatic strategy that favors a moderate and pragmatic approach.
However, a request jointly put forth by 17 of Taiwan's diplomatic allies to include the issue as a supplementary item on the agenda of the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly was rejected last September by the U.N. General Committee, again because of China's opposition.
(By Deborah Kuo) ENDITEM /pc
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