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“TAIWAN OBSERVER STATUS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S5845-S5846 on Sept. 21, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TAIWAN OBSERVER STATUS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 115, S. Con. Res. 17.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 17) expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO).
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the concurrent resolution.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on this resolution.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
If not, the question is on the adoption of the concurrent resolution.
The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 17) was agreed to.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Con. Res. 17
Whereas the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed in Chicago, Illinois, on December 7, 1944, and entered into force April 4, 1947, approved the establishment of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), stating
``The aims and objectives of the Organization are to develop the principles and techniques of international air navigation and to foster the planning and development of international air transport so as to . . . meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular, efficient and economical air transport'';
Whereas, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the ICAO convened a high-level Ministerial Conference on Aviation Security that endorsed a global strategy for strengthening aviation security worldwide and issued a public declaration that ``a uniform approach in a global system is essential to ensure aviation security throughout the world and that deficiencies in any part of the system constitute a threat to the entire global system,'' and that there should be a commitment to ``foster international cooperation in the field of aviation security and harmonize the implementation of security measures'';
Whereas, the 37th ICAO Assembly in October 2010 adopted a Declaration on Aviation Security largely in response to the attempted sabotage of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, which established new criminal penalties for the use of civil aircraft as a weapon, the use of dangerous materials to attack aircraft or other targets on the ground, and the unlawful transport of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons and related materials, along with extradition arrangements that facilitate cooperation among nations in apprehending and prosecuting those who have undertaken these and other criminal acts;
Whereas, on October 8, 2010, the Department of State praised the 37th ICAO Assembly on its adoption of the Declaration on Aviation Security, but noted that ``because every airport offers a potential entry point into this global system, every nation faces the threat from gaps in aviation security throughout the world--and all nations must share the responsibility for securing that system'';
Whereas the Taipei Flight Information Region, under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, ROC, covers an airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles and provides air traffic control services to over 1,350,000 flights annually, with the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport recognized as the 8th and 18th largest airport by international cargo volume and number of international passengers, respectively;
Whereas exclusion from the ICAO since 1971 has impeded the efforts of the Government of Taiwan to maintain civil aviation practices that comport with evolving international standards, due to its inability to contact the ICAO for up-to-date information on aviation standards and norms, secure amendments to the organization's regulations in a timely manner, obtain sufficient and timely information needed to prepare for the implementation of new systems and procedures set forth by the ICAO, receive technical assistance in implementing new regulations, and participate in technical and academic seminars hosted by the ICAO;
Whereas the United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, clearly declared its support for the participation of Taiwan in appropriate international organizations, in particular, on September 27, 1994, with the announcement by the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs that, pursuant to the Review and recognizing Taiwan's important role in transnational issues, the United States
``will support its membership in organizations where statehood is not a prerequisite, and [the United States] will support opportunities for Taiwan's voice to be heard in organizations where its membership is not possible''; and
Whereas ICAO rules and existing practices have allowed for the meaningful participation of noncontracting countries as well as other bodies in its meetings and activities through granting of observer status: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) meaningful participation by the Government of Taiwan as an observer in the meetings and activities of the International Civil Aviation Organization (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 based on effective international cooperation;
(2) the United States Government should take a leading role in garnering international support for the granting of observer status to Taiwan in the ICAO for the purpose of such participation; and
(3) the Department of State should provide briefings to or consult with Congress on any efforts conducted by the United States Government in support of Taiwan's attainment of observer status in the ICAO.
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