[Pages S5845-S5846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

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

[[Page S5846]]

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.

____________________