Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian will hold a video conference with UN correspondents next week to promote the island's attempt to return to the world body. 'Through the online conference, President Chen will be able to firmly relay the desire of the people in our country [to rejoin the UN],' said Lin Chia-lung, director of Taiwan's Government Information Office. 'In a symbolic sense, the activity will help promote our popularly elected president, to the UN,' he said. Mr Chen's dialogue with the United Nations Correspondents Association on Wednesday will be broadcast on a screen at the UN headquarters in New York. Taiwan was ousted from the UN when the world body accepted the mainland as a member in 1971. Mr Lin said the video conference would be chaired by the association's chairman, Tony Jenkins, shortly after Taiwan's allies presented a proposal to the 59th UN assembly to consider Taiwan's re-entry bid. Representatives of Taiwan's allies and reporters from Taiwanese media outlets in New York were also invited to attend the conference. However, Mr Lin noted that Beijing had been putting pressure on the United Nations and it was possible that the world body's secretariat would prevent the conference from being held within the headquarters. 'We have a plan B and will not rule out holding the conference in a nearby location,' he said. He said Taiwan's Government Information Office would also run advertisements in The New York Times and The Washington Post promoting the island's bid to join the UN the same day as the conference. Taiwan has repeatedly attempted to rejoin the UN since 1993, but each attempt has been blocked by Beijing.