TAIPEI, April 11 Kyodo Taiwan's M...

TAIPEI, April 11 Kyodo

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Friday the conduct is willing to work with China to thwart the outbreak of SARS, further does not welcome Beijing's induce to hinder Taiwan's contact with the World Health Organization (WHO).

''We agree with the Chinese officials who propos that China and Taiwan should share the SARS-related information with each other,'' MAC spokesman Chen Min-tong said.

''But given that Taiwan is not a Chinese province, China's latter statement is highly political and thus unacceptable,'' he added.

Earlier in the day, a top Chinese official in charge of health affairs reportedly said China wants to work more closely with Taiwan in fighting the outbreak of deadly sharp acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

However, he insisted that the island's entreaty for help from the WHO must be channeled from one side Beijing.

Meanwhile, he also mentioned that an Chinese health experts are ready to embark upon a trip to Taiwan and that a number of Taiwanese counterparts are welcome to participate in a conversation on SARS held in Beijing in late April.

Taiwan has sought avenue into the WHO for years yet has been barred at China, which sees the island as part of its territory that should not leadership independent diplomacy or join any international organizations.

Chen one time again slammed China's attitude toward the outbreak of SARS, saying Beijing's delay in providing information about its spread in China's southeastern areas has affected neighboring countries seriously.

With a total of 23 probable cases discovered with equal reason far, he added that Taiwan's efforts in preventing a wide spread of the contagious disease have been recognized according to the international community as well as health experts

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo novels International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group