Australia to pursue coronavirus investigation at World Health Assembly

[snoop1130]

Australia to pursue coronavirus investigation at World Health Assembly

By Kirsty Needham

 

FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a joint press conference at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia, February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will push for an international investigation into the coronavirus pandemic at next month’s annual meeting of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), its prime minister said on Thursday.

 

Australia wants the WHO to be strengthened and is suggesting introducing inspectors with the power to enter a country to respond more quickly to a health crisis in the style of weapons inspectors.

 

Australia sits on the executive board of the assembly, which determines WHO policies and appoints the director-general. The assembly is due to meet on May 17.

 

The coronavirus is believed to have emerged in a market selling wildlife in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has spread around the world infecting some 2.6 million people and killing more than 183,000 of them, according to Reuters calculations.

 

The WHO’s response to the outbreak has become contentious with U.S. President Donald Trump accusing it of being “China-centric” and suspending U.S. funding.

 

Diplomats believe the May meeting opens the door for discussion of Australia’s call for an enquiry because agenda items already include calls for a “lessons learned” review of health emergencies, and urge members to comply with international health regulations introduced after the 2004 SARS outbreak in China.

 

“The World Health Assembly is coming up in May. There are opportunities to pursue that matter there and that is our first port of call,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

 

Australia has overcome the worst of its coronavirus outbreak, which is why it has moved on to lobbying other countries to support its call for an enquiry, but it understood that other nations were still dealing with high death rates, government sources said.

 

Morrison has called leaders in France, Germany and the United States and is expected to lobby Britain and Canada as Australia seeks support from “like-minded” nations.

 

France and Britain said on Wednesday it was not the time for an investigation.

 

Morrison told reporters he understood hesitation about the timing and played down suggestions China would be targeted.

 

“Our purpose here is just pretty simple, we would like the world to be safer when it comes to viruses,” he said.

 

‘OBLIGATIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES’

 

Although the proposal would be for a broad review of the coronavirus outbreak and the WHO response, which could then propose ways to strengthen WHO powers, Morrison said he supported a weapons-inspector-style arrangement for health emergencies that countries would sign up to.

 

“They don’t have a roving commission to go anywhere they want in the world, but if you are going to be a member of a club like the World Health Organization there should be obligations and responsibilities attached,” he told a news conference.

 

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the agency would carry out an “after-action” review when the crisis was over.

 

Morrison told Australian broadcaster Sky that “nothing was changed” after the WHO held a review of an Ebola outbreak in Africa that critics said it handled poorly.

 

Former Australian diplomat and intelligence chief, Richard Maude, said Australia had led coalitions of nations on issues including disarmament, non-proliferation and Russia’s downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine.

 

“Australia has a good record of getting things done in multilateral processes, including the United Nations,” said Maude, the executive director of policy at the Asia Society Australia.

 

“The problem for Australia right now is that while the objectives – greater transparency and learning lessons – are reasonable and important, the issue of the origins of the virus and the path of its transmission have become so caught up in geo-politics and deteriorating US-China ties that China is very unlikely to cooperate.”

 

China has criticised Australia’s call for an investigation as “political manipulation” and accused Australian lawmakers of parroting Trump.

 

Australian foreign minister Marise Payne wrote in a newspaper column that no country would be singled out and the WHO’s role should be reviewed because Australia wanted strong multilateral institutions.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-23

 

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[Mama Noodle]

9 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“The problem for Australia right now is that while the objectives – greater transparency and learning lessons – are reasonable and important, the issue of the origins of the virus and the path of its transmission have become so caught up in geo-politics and deteriorating US-China ties that China is very unlikely to cooperate.”

 

If china doesn't want to cooperate then there's your answer, and its got nothing to do with US-China relations and everything to do with them not being able to control every aspect of information leaving their country. 

 

People need to start putting China on blast and holding them accountable not only for the Coronavirus but all the other <deleted> they get up to. 

[simple1]

2 minutes ago, car720 said:

normally a very valid point but do not confuse normal slimy business practices with an underlying cultural desire to kick the butt of the guy that pees in your garden.

You don't think any action/s will only be symbolic and realpolitik will kick in?

[metisdead]

An off topic trolling post bringing Mr. Trump into a topic about Australia has been removed. 

[Isaan sailor]

Courageous move by Australia.  Good luck finding any truth from China.

[Mick501]

You'd think it would be in China's interests to get a think tank going on how better to handle these situations if it ever cross up again.  But cultural and politically, they have to balance the good that could come of it against the likely loss of face.   Face saving often seems to veto logic in some countries.

[Almer]

1 hour ago, Isaan sailor said:

Courageous move by Australia.  Good luck finding any truth from China.

Forget China, stop buying there there cheap copies and instead by items that last they will implode without trade 

[cornishcarlos]

5 minutes ago, Almer said:

Forget China, stop buying there there cheap copies and instead by items that last they will implode without trade 

 

Problem is, lots of countries have gone away from manufacturing and rely on imports !! Not sure about Oz but try getting the U.K population to work in factories for the wages paid in China... Won't happen...

[Baerboxer]

I'm sure China are quaking in their boots - not!

 

Australia is an irrelevance politically, economically and China has more financial interests in Australia than the other way around.

 

Still, useful sabre rattling for the idiot Aussie PM. Least he couldn't <deleted> off on holiday this crisis.

[Peabody]

Is that photo your prime minister, Drew Carey?  ????

 

[candide]

In theory, it is not stupid. If people want the WHO to play the role of a watchdog, which its current status does not allow, then WHO members must vote to give the WHO additional powers to do so.

 

It would also mean that all WHO member would have to sign an agreement  allowing the WHO to conduct invasive investigations in their country and propose sanctions. Good luck with that! Several countries will refuse it, and not only China. I am sure that the US will refuse to sign it.