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KMT LAWMAKERS DENY CHANGING POSITION ON U.S. ARMS DEAL

ROC Central News Agency

2005-10-08 19:38:26

    Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators denied Saturday a report that the party is considering dropping its opposition to the government's controversial arms procurement package from the United States.

    Members of a KMT panel studying the arms procurement plan, who include Shuai Hua-min, Ting Shou-chung and Su Chi, said the group has not met lately and that the party has not made a final decision as to how it will deal with the package.

    According to a proposal reportedly put forth by a key KMT member, the party, in preparation for a possible return to power in 2008, should demand that the government include the plan to purchase eight diesel-electric submarines and a squadron of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft in the regular annual budget from 2007.

    As to the plan to purchase six Patriot PAC-III anti-missile batteries, the KMT should continue to block it within the three years since a referendum was held on the issue.

    President Chen Shui-bian called the referendum alongside the presidential election on March 18, 2004 to let the people vote on whether to purchase more anti-missile armaments. The referendum was declared invalid because fewer than half of the eligible voters took part in the poll. According to the country's referendum law, no referendum can be held on the same issue within three years of it being voted on.

    Ting claimed that the three weapons are unnecessary in light of the cross-Taiwan Strait and international situations, adding that whether the KMT will support the arms procurement plan is not related to whether it will return to power.

    In response to the report, opposition People First Party (PFP) legislative caucus convener Huang Yi-chiao said the PFP will remain opposed to the arms procurement plan as long as it is financed by a special budget instead of the regular annual budget.

    However, Huang said, the PFP will not support the plan to purchase the Patriot PAC-III anti-missile batteries, even though the Ministry of National Defense has included it in the government's annual budget for 2006, because the plan is inconsistent with the result of the referendum.

    He said the KMT would be making a "serious mistake" if it were to consider the issue from the perspective of whether it will return to power.

    Meanwhile, William Lai, the leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party legislative caucus, said the report, if proven true, would indicate that the KMT is ready to continue to delay the arms procurement.

    Lai urged the KMT and PFP not to misinterpret the result of the referendum, saying that the fact that the referendum is invalid does not mean the people are opposed to the purchase of anti-missile armaments.

    DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung warned that Taiwan might have problems obtaining the weapons if the opposition parties continue to block the procurement plan.

(By Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/J