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U.S. Backs Observer Status for Taiwan at World Health Assembly

President Bush signed legislation on June 14 authorizing Secretary of State Colin Powell to initiate a plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual summit of the World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of members of the World Health Organization, according to a statement released by the White House on the same day.

Following is the text of the president's statement:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Liberty, Missouri)
June 14, 2004

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today, I have signed into law S. 2092, an Act concerning participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization. The United States fully supports the participation of Taiwan in the work of the World Health Organization, including observer status. The United States has expressed publicly its firm support for Taiwan's observer status and will continue to do so. Consistent with the President's constitutional authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs, the Executive shall construe the Act to be consistent with the "one China" policy of the United States, which remains unchanged, and determine the measures best suited to advance the overall goal of Taiwan participation in the World Health Organization. The executive branch also shall construe the reporting requirement in section 1(c) of the Act in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to withhold information the disclosure of which could impair foreign relations, the national security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties. As a matter of comity, the Secretary of State will continue to keep the Congress appropriately informed of the matters addressed by the reporting requirement.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 14, 2004.