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U.S. CONCERNED ABOUT ARMS PROCUREMENT BILL: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

2005-12-20 22:24:03

    Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) Washington is concerned about progress in a major arms procurement bill stalled in Taiwan's legislature that would allow billions of dollars in arms purchases from the United States, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

    Chin Jih-hsin, director-general of MOFA's North American Affairs Department, made the comments to reporters after the bill was finally included on the agenda at the Legislative Yuan by its Rules Committee earlier the same day.

    Noting that cross-Taiwan Strait security has always been one of the major concerns of the United States in its relations with Taiwan, Chin said that Washington has repeatedly urged Taiwan to beef up its defense capability to deter China from attacking Taiwan.

    But the U.S. side fully respects Taiwan's dealings of its internal affairs, such as when the legislature will approve the procurement package, the purchase items and their value of the major arms procurement package, he noted.

    Twelve lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its ally the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) railroaded the major weapons purchase bill through a Rules Committee meeting earlier that day, in which only five lawmakers of the opposition "pan-blue alliance" of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) were present.

    KMT and PFP legislators accused the bill passage process of being flawed and vowed to kill the bill in Friday's legislative session and return it to the committee.

    Meanwhile, PFP Chairman James Soong said that it will be harder for the "pan-blue alliance" to maintain its "fragile majority" at the Legislative Yuan in the future as a result of the KMT's faulty election strategy. Four KMT lawmakers have to give up their legislative seats after being elected as local government chiefs in the Dec. 3. elections.

    The major arms procurement bill put forth by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has been blocked at the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan since the middle of 2004.

    The bill originally called for procuring eight diesel-powered submarines, six PAC III Patriot anti-missile batteries and 12 anti-submarine airplanes from the United States through a special budget of NT$610.08 billion

    The MND later slashed its budget proposal and agreed to finance the purchase of the anti-missile batteries in its annual regular budget to seek legislative support for the bill. But the "pan-blue alliance" still declined to screen it.

(By Flor Wang)

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