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ARMS PACKAGE MERITS FREE, RATIONAL DEBATE IN LEGISLATURE: SPEAKER

ROC Central News Agency

2005-09-25 17:30:56

    Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said Sunday that the long-stalled arms procurement package deserves free and rational discussion in the legislature.

    Wang was referring to a government plan to purchase three big-ticket weaponry systems from the United States, which has failed to make the legislative agenda for more than a year due to the opposition "pan-blue alliance's" obstruction.

    Addressing a roundtable meeting on arms procurement and national development sponsored by a private anti-arms procurement group, Wang said that as the proposed arms procurement package is related to national security, government financial status and economic development, it should be put forward for extensive discussions before any decision is made. "My observation is that the arms procurement package, which includes eight diesel-electric submarines, six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries and a squadron of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft, should be addressed in line with the principles of democracy and rule by law," Wang said.

    Noting that democracy and rule by law have been Taiwan's most admirable achievements after several decades of hard work, Wang said the handling of this massive arms procurement project should exemplify those spirits.

    While U.S. President George W. Bush approved the robust arms sales package to Taiwan in April 2001, Wang said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration did not refer the two arms procurement-related bills to the legislature until mid-2004. As the draft bills drew mixed reactions, the DPP administration withdrew the two bills earlier this year and sent two revised ones to the legislature shortly before the opening of the current legislative session early this month.

    According to the revised bills, the funds needed for the Patriot anti-missile batteries will come from the government's regular budget while the remaining two items will be financed by a special budget.

    Wang said he was scheduled to call a cross-party consultative meeting Monday to work out a schedule for screening the central government's budget bill for 2006. As the budget plan includes funds for the proposed Patriot procurement, Wang said its fate remains uncertain.

    In his view, Wang said, the legislature should allow free and rational debate on the arms procurement package.

    The opposition "pan-blue alliance" of the Kuomintang and the People First Party has used its slim majority in the legislature's Rules Committee to block the two arms procurement-related bills from being placed on the legislative agenda 29 times.

(By Sofia Wu)

ENDITEM/J