GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation's (WHO) assembly again rejected Taiwan's bid for observer status on Monday, declaring that mainland China had responsibility for health issues affecting the island's 23 million people.
The decision, taken on the opening day of the WHO's six-dayannual meeting, was the 12th year in a row that the UnitedNations agency had rebuffed Taiwan's campaign.
Taiwan, a self-governing island that China regards as abreakaway province, has said its exclusion from the 193-memberstate agency undermines international efforts to fight diseasessuch as bird flu.
Gambia's delegate called on the assembly to invite Taiwanto participate as an observer.
"The organisation's continued refusal to have directdealings with the Taiwan health authorities will not onlydamage the health rights of the people in Taiwan but may alsolead to a gap in the global health system," he said.
Beijing had transmitted only 16 of the 232 WHOcommunications on health events to Taiwan authorities in thepast year, according to Gambia.
But China's Health Minister Chen Zhu, stressing links withthe island, said current arrangements fully satisfied themedical and health needs of China's "inseparable flesh brothersand sisters" in Taiwan.
The U.S. delegation, led by Health and Human ServicesSecretary Michael Leavitt, issued a statement saying it hadlong supported observer status for Taiwan in the assembly.
A proposal to drop the agenda item calling on Taiwan to begiven observer status was adopted without a vote as part of abehind-the-scenes deal to give the issue an airing withoutdevoting too much time to it.
"The reason that no one objected is that we all know whatthe outcome is," said one diplomat. The assembly has a built-inmajority against Taiwan, which draws support only from a coupleof dozen small countries mainly in Africa, the Caribbean andPacific, plus the United States.
Taiwan is a member of the 152-nation World TradeOrganisation but is excluded from most other internationalbodies because of Beijing's one-China policy.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Jonathan Lynn; Editingby David Fogarty)
