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A28 WORLD NEWS
Monday 10 august 2020
Azar leads highest-level US delegation to Taiwan in decades

By JOHNSON LAI its remaining diplomatic al-
Associated Press lies and excluding it from
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — U.S. international gatherings
Health and Human Servic- including the World Health
es Secretary Alex Azar ar- Assembly. That, in turn, has
rived in Taiwan on Sunday increased already consid-
in the highest-level visit by erable bipartisan sympa-
an American Cabinet offi- thy for Taipei in Washington
cial since the break in for- and prompted new mea-
mal diplomatic relations sures to strengthen govern-
between Washington and mental and military ties.
Taipei in 1979. Also Sunday, Taiwanese
Beijing has already protest- Foreign Minister Joseph Wu
ed Azar's visit as a betrayal met with the first represen-
of U.S. commitments not to tative of Somaliland to the
have official contact with island ahead of the territo-
the island. China claims ry's opening of a represen-
Taiwan as its own territory, tative office in Taipei.
to be brought under its Wu earlier tweeted that
control by military force if Mohamed Omar Hagi Mo-
necessary. Azar is due to hamoud had "braved Chi-
meet with the island's inde- nese pressure" — a refer-
pendence-leaning Presi- ence to reports that China
dent Tsai Ing-wen along U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, center, talks with Taiwanese Deputy Foreign had sought to block rela-
with health officials during Minister Tien Chung-kwang as he arrives at Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, tions between Taiwan and
Aug. 9, 2020.
a three-day visit aimed Associated Press the region on the Horn of
at highlighting coopera- Africa that broke from the
tion in the fight against the over trade, technology, then-Environmental Protec- to send higher-level officials rest of Somalia but is not
coronavirus. Taiwan's gov- the South China Sea and tion Agency administrator to Taiwan after decades recognized by the United
ernment-run health care China's response to the vi- Gina McCarthy visited Tai- during which such contacts Nations as an independent
system has been credited rus pandemic. wan, sparking protests from were rare and freighted country.
with keeping the number of The U.S. maintains only un- Beijing. Azar's office said with safeguards to avoid "The fact 'sovereignty &
coronavirus cases to under official ties with Taiwan in he will hold discussions on roiling ties with Beijing. friendship aren't for sale'
500 with just seven deaths, deference to Beijing, but is COVID-19, global health China has cut contacts deserves international rec-
despite its close proximity the island's most important and Taiwan's role as a sup- with Tsai over her refusal to ognition," Wu tweeted.
to China where the virus ally and provider of de- plier of medical equipment recognize China's claim to On his arrival, Maham-
originated. fense equipment. and technology. the island and has brought oud tweeted that "We are
China sees Taiwan as a key Azar is the first health sec- Azar's visit was facilitated increasing diplomatic, eco- ready to establish good
irritant in its troubled rela- retary to visit Taiwan and by the 2018 passage of the nomic and military pressure relations with all countries
tionship with Washington, the first Cabinet member Taiwan Travel Act, which against her, including by - those we share values of
with whom it is also at odds to visit in six years. In 2014, encouraged Washington poaching away several of democracy are special."q

6 Gulf Arab countries back extending U.N. arms embargo on Iran

kept Iran from purchasing to lift the restrictions on con- Iran's 2015 nuclear deal
foreign-made weapons like ventional weapons' move- saw the U.N. agree to sun-
fighter jets, tanks and war- ment to and from Iran until set the arms embargo this
ships. it abandons its destabilizing October. President Donald
The GCC — comprised of activities in the region and Trump unilaterally withdrew
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, ceases to provide weap- America from the deal in
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and ons to terrorist and sectari- 2018, part of a maximum
the United Arab Emirates an organizations," the GCC pressure campaign that's
— alleged Iran had "not said. Iran's foreign ministry hurt Iran's already-ailing
ceased or desisted from spokesman Abbas Mousavi economy and led to a se-
armed interventions in condemned the GCC let- ries of escalating incidents
neighboring countries, di- ter and called it an "irre- in the Mideast.
rectly and through orga- sponsible" statement that That the GCC offered a
nizations and movements serves U.S. interests, Iranian unified statement on Iran
armed and trained by Iran." state TV reported. comes as it remains torn
In this Dec. 5, 2017 file photo, a man looks at his mobile phone in A Saudi-led coalition con- The U.N. banned Iran from by the ongoing Qatar cri-
front of the flag of the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, in Kuwait tinues to battle Yemen's buying major foreign weap- sis, which saw Bahrain,
City. Houthi rebels, whom the on systems in 2010 amid Egypt, Saudi Arabia and
Associated Press U.N., the U.S. and arma- tensions over its nuclear the Emirates cut diplomatic
By JON GAMBRELL arms embargo on Iran, just ment experts have ac- program. That blocked Iran ties and launch a boycott
Associated Press two months before it is set cused of receiving arms from replacing its aging of the nation beginning in
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- to expire. from Iran. Tehran denies equipment, much of which 2017. Kuwait has sought to
ates (AP) — A six-nation The Gulf Cooperation arming the Houthis, even had been purchased by mediate the crisis, though
bloc of Gulf Arab nations Council said it sent a letter as Iranian armaments and the shah before the 1979 Is- its 91-year-old emir now is
torn apart by internal strife to the U.N. Security Coun- components have repeat- lamic Revolution. An earlier hospitalized in the U.S. suf-
endorsed on Sunday an ex- cil backing an extension edly turned up in Yemen. embargo targeted Iranian fering from an undisclosed
tension of a United Nations of an arms embargo that's "As such, it is inappropriate arms exports. ailment.q