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PRESIDENT COMMENTS ON OPPOSITION BLOCKING ARMS PROCUREMENT BILL

ROC Central News Agency

2005-09-06 18:57:00

    Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian expressed deep regret Tuesday over continued efforts by opposition parties to block an arms procurement draft bill, saying that opposition legislators have boycotted the bill more than 26 times.

    Chen made the remarks while meeting with American Heritage Foundation Chairman Edwin Jr. Feulner at the Presidential Office.

    The president told his guest that he has publicly spoken for the proposed arms procurement more than 80 times since he was sworn in for his second four-year term on May 20, 2004.

    It is regrettable that the opposition "pan-blue alliance" of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) have continually filibustered the draft statute governing an arms procurement package submitted by the Executive Yuan last year to the legislature for deliberation, Chen said.

    In a goodwill gesture to opposition parties, Chen pointed out that the government has made pragmatic adjustments to the required outlay for several items in the package by listing Patriot anti-missile batteries in the regular budget instead of the originally proposed special budget.

    Referring to recent remarks by Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, a KMT heavyweight, that the legislature should begin to deal with the arms procurement bill when the new legislative session formally opens Sept. 13, Chen said he would be happy to see such a positive development of the issue.

    In the face of China's rise, especially its military expansion, Taiwan must beef up its self-defense capabilities, Chen stressed. He also thanked U.S. President George W. Bush for having approved the sale of a package of advanced weaponry to Taiwan to help upgrade the island's defense capabilities.

    The arms procurement package includes eight diesel-electric submarines, six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries and a squadron of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft. The budget plan for the procurement has been blocked for two consecutive legislative sessions due to opposition from the opposition "pan-blue alliance, " which holds a slim majority in the 225-seat legislature.

    Over the past five years, the KMT and the PFP have used their slim majority in the legislature to boycott various policy initiatives launched by the government.

    During the meeting, Chen also expressed again his sympathies to families of those who were killed by Hurricane Katrina in the southern U.S. states, saying that he immediately extended his concern to Mississippi State Governor Haley Barbour after he learned about the devastating natural disaster.

    On behalf of the Taiwan people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated US$2 million to the United States last Friday for the relief of victims of the hurricane.

(By Luis Huang)

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