https___theargusreport.com_pompeo-says-u-s-may-never-restore-who-funds-after-cutoff-over-pandemic_.xml
https___sallerikhabar.com_archives_106132_1.xml
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the COVID-19 pandemic shows the need to overhaul the World Health Organization, warning that Washington may never restore WHO funding and could even work to set up an alternative to the U.N. body instead. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, U.S., April 22, 2020. Nicholas Kamm/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo As Pompeo launched fresh attacks on the WHO, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives accused the Trump administration of trying to “scapegoat” the institution to distract from its own handling of the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter to President Donald Trump, they called for the immediate restoration of U.S. funding, which Trump suspended last week after accusing the WHO of being “China-centric” and of promoting China’s “disinformation” about the outbreak. Pompeo told Fox News late on Wednesday there needed to be “a structural fix of the WHO” to correct its “shortcomings.” Asked if he was urging a change in leadership of the WHO, Pompeo replied: “Even more than that, it may be the case that the United States can never return to underwriting, having U.S. taxpayer dollars go to the WHO.” In a radio show interview on Thursday, Pompeo was asked if he saw a time when the role of the WHO might be supplanted by another organization. “We’re going to take a look at exactly that issue,” he replied. “If the institution works and functions, the United States will always lead and be part of it. When it’s not delivering, when in fact it’s failing to get the outcomes that are desired, we’re going to work with partners around the world to deliver a structure, a form, a governance model, that will actually deliver on the intended purposes.” The WHO has denied the Trump administration’s charges and China insists it has been transparent and open. The United States has been the biggest overall donor to the WHO, contributing over $400 million in 2019, roughly 15% of its budget. Senior U.S. officials last week told Reuters Washington could redirect these funds to other aid groups. On Wednesday, Pompeo said the United States “strongly believed” Beijing had failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner, in breach of WHO rules. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom did not use his ability “to go public” when a member state failed to follow those rules, Pompeo added. The acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development said on Wednesday the United States would assess if the WHO was being run properly and look for alternative partners outside the body. Any threat to definitively end U.S. funding of the global body would likely hinge on Trump succeeding in his bid for re-election in the November presidential vote against the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The U.S. Congress controls federal spending, and could pass legislation to guarantee funding for the WHO. However, to become law it would need to garner enough support, including from Trump’s Republicans, not just to pass but to override a likely veto. According to a Reuters tally, the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 180,000 people worldwide, including nearly 48,000 in the United States, making it the worst-hit country by official statistics. Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Humeyra Pamuk and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Tom Brown
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एजेन्सी । अमेरिकाका विदेशमन्त्री माइक पोम्पिओले कोरोना भाइरस बुहानको प्रयोगशालाबाट उत्पन्न भएको दाबी गरेका छन् । पोम्पिओले फक्स न्यूजसँग अन्तरवार्तामा बोल्दै भने, “ हामीले यस सम्बन्धमा विभिन्न जानकारी खोजेका छौँ । म उक्त जानकारी बारेमा बोल्न सक्दिंन । तर हामीसँग भएको जानकारीमा पुरा भरोसा छ । भाइरस बुहानको प्रयोगशालाबाट नै निक्केको हो ।” “जे भइरहेको छ, नहुनुपर्ने थियो । हामीलाई थाहा छ कि यो भाइरस बुहानबाट निस्किएको हो । हामीलाई थाहा छ कि चीनलाई यस बारेमा डिसेम्बरमा नै जानकारी थियो । तर, उनीहरुले यस विषयमा मतलब गरेनन् अनि विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठनले चीनको आग्रहमा महामारीको घोषणा गर्यो ।” पोम्पिाओले थपे । पोम्पिओले डब्ल्यूएचओको मामिलामा दोस्रो पटक असफल हुनको लागि अनुमति दिनु स्वीकार नहुने जनाएका छन् । अमेरिकाले डब्ल्यूएचओलाई चीनको सपोर्ट गरेको र तथ्यांक लुकाएको आरोप लगाएको थियो । यति मात्र नभइ अमेरिकाले डब्ल्यूएचओलाई दिने अनुदानमा पनि कतौटी गरेको छ । कोरोना भाइरसबाट सबैभन्दा बढी अमेरिका प्रभावित भएको छ । अमेरिकामा कोरोनाबाट १२ लाख ६३ हजारभन्दा बढी संक्रमित रहेका छन् भने ७४ हजारभन्दा बढीको ज्यान गइसकेको छ ।