For Immediate Release
Washington DC – April 21, 2004
Contact: (202) 547-3686
House Unanimously Passes “WHO For Taiwan” Bill
Today, the House unanimously passed WHO for Taiwan legislation (HR4019) on the suspension calendar with 416 to 0 votes “authorizing the U.S. Secretary of State (1) to initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the World Health Assembly in May 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland; (2) to instruct the United States delegation to Geneva to implement that plan; and (3) to introduce a resolution in support of observer status for Taiwan at the summit of the World Health Assembly.
The bill will now go to the Senate and after Senate passage, it will be forwarded to the President for a signature and thus become an Act.
FAPA President Ming-chi Wu, Ph.D. states: “Now that WHO Director General Lee when in Beijing has said that it will be difficult for Taiwan to participate in the WHO this year, assertive U.S. action is crucial.”
眾議院無異議通過支持台灣參與世衛法案
眾議院在今日以416票對0票，高票通過第4019號法案，支持台灣世衛觀察員的身份。第4019號法案主要在授權國務院在今年五月的世衛大會上應有一套執行計劃，具體協助台灣以觀察員的身份參與世界衛生組織大會；而美國參與世衛大會的代表並應在世衛大會召開時實施這樣的計劃。法案最後並要求國務院在此法案通過後的十四天之內，就美國如何協助台灣一事向國會呈交書面報告。
值得特別注意的是今年法案裡有一頗具創意的作法：台灣連線建議國務院在今年五月的世衛大會上，由美國代表團（而非以往台灣友邦）引進支持台灣世衛觀察員身份的決議案。除了前述創意性的提議外，今年的法案並加入了禽流感(Bird Flu)與嚴重急性呼吸道症候群(SARS)等文字，以突顯出在疾病無國界的情況下，台灣被世衛排除在外的不合理與不通人情。
台灣人公共事務會長(FAPA)吳明基教授表示，「參議院可望在近期內通過類似的法案，並交付總統簽署。根據報導，世界衛生組織執行長李鐘毓在近日訪問中國時，曾經表示他不支持台灣申請參與世衛組織。李鐘毓的言論更加突顯出美國在下個月即將於日內瓦召開的世衛大會上，以實際行動帶領其他國家，具體協助台灣參與世衛的重要性！」
H.R.4019
