A group of US Congressmen are pushing for Taiwan to be awarded “observer status” in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Led by Nevada Democrat Shelley Berkley, the group has introduced a resolution to the House of Representatives urging US President Barack Obama to take a leading role in gathering international support for the plan.
“Meaningful participation by Taiwan as an observer in the meetings and activities of the ICAO will contribute both to the fulfillment of the ICAO’s overarching mission and to the success of a global strategy to address aviation security threats,” the resolution says.
To make sure the idea does not slip through the cracks of bureaucracy without any real action being taken, the resolution also calls on the US State Department to regularly brief Congress on its efforts to win observer status for Taiwan.
Nevertheless, the resolution is not getting wholehearted support from all Taiwan Caucus members.
Some feel that the Congress should fight for full ICAO membership for Taiwan and not make do with the much less effective observer status.
Diplomatic sources in Washington say that China may have already “quietly” agreed not to block observer status but that Beijing would be certain to oppose and defeat any attempt to gain full membership.
The resolution is jointly sponsored by Republican Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida, Democrat Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Republican Phil Gingrey of Georgia.
It says that the Taipei Flight Information Region provides air traffic control services to more than 1,350,000 flights annually along 12 international and four domestic air routes.
The resolution also says that over 174,000 international flights carrying more than 35 million passengers travel to and from Taiwan annually, “reflecting its importance as an air transport hub linking Northeast and Southeast Asia.”
A total of 30 airlines, 23 of them foreign-owned, provide scheduled flights to Taiwan and Taiwanese airports handle more than 1.5 million tonnes of air cargo a year.
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