The U.S. should issue an Interpol red notice for World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and not give him any more power, China expert Gordon Chang told Newsmax on Friday.
In addition, the U.S. shouldn't give WHO sovereign authority over health care decisions, Chang said on "The Chris Salcedo Show."
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has drafted a series of amendments to a legal framework called the International Health Regulations. The IHR defines countries' rights and obligations in handling public health emergencies that have the potential to cross borders. It was last amended in 2005 after the global SARS epidemic.
The U.S. amendments now call for greater accountability and transparency in reporting and responding to such emergencies.
Some Republicans and pundits assert that the proposal would give the WHO total authority over emergency operations in the U.S. if there is ever a public health emergency.
"Really what they're trying to do is to see how far they can push this," Chang told Salcedo. "My response would be what President Trump did, which is to withdraw from the World Health Organization.
"Yes, we need a global health architecture but one that is not dominated by China. And, by the way, we should give no power to Tedros. And the reason is in December and January of 2019 and 2020, he was propagating a narrative that he knew was false that came from China that SARS CoV2, the pathogen for COVID-19, was not contagious."
This, Chang said, "helped China deliberately spread the coronavirus beyond its borders. This means a million Americans have died through an intentional act that Tedros promoted. This is absolutely wrong. We should be issuing an Interpol red notice for Tedros, not not giving him any more power."
Experts familiar with the International Health Regulations say that these assertions are misleading, and the idea that the director-general could impose enforceable mandates on other countries is unfounded.
The U.S. amendments to the IHR tighten requirements for reporting information to the WHO surrounding public health emergencies of international concern. They ask the WHO to develop early warning criteria for assessing, updating and communicating risks posed by such emergencies.
They also modify the guidelines surrounding investigations and assistance in such instances. In the past, countries could refuse to cooperate with the WHO's expert teams. Now, the amendments seek to have all signatories agree not to block such actions.
The amendments also seek to allow a committee to assess member countries' compliance with the framework, though they do not ascribe any specific punishments or legal consequences for those that don't.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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