Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Taiwan's intention to participate in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should be encouraged, Randall Schriver, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs said Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in the middle of a March 27-April 2 visit, Schriver offered his support to remarks made earlier in the day by ruling Kuomintang Legislator John Chiang that Taiwan should seek IAEA membership, or at least increased participation in the international body, because the Fukushima crisis has highlighted the importance of nuclear safety.
"It's kind of a shame that it takes a crisis in all these different areas before somebody wakes up to the fact that Taiwan should be a member of these different organizations, " he said.
The international community did not notice that Taiwan was not a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Health Assembly (WHA) until the severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian flu outbreaks, or the IAEA until the Fukushima nuclear crisis, he said.
"To me, Taiwan should have a role in these organizations even before we get to the point of a crisis, " he said.
Schriver, who is now president and chief executive officer of the Project 2049 Institute, a think tank focused on Asia-Pacific affairs, said he did not know what level of support the Barack Obama Administration will offer should Taiwan seek IAEA membership.
However, previous U.S. administrations have always supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations that do not need statehood as a membership requirement, he said.
In organizations that do require statehood, he went on, Taiwan can participate as an observer or find other means of participating so that it can benefit from and contribute to those organizations. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J