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MND TO ADJUST STANCE ON ARMS PROCUREMENT BUDGETING

ROC Central News Agency

2005-12-23 00:28:20

    Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is willing to adjust its budget planning in order to win legislative support for a long-stalled arms procurement project, a senior military official said Thursday.

    Gen. Hu Chen-pu, director of the MND's Political Warfare Department, was referring to the military's plan to procure three big-ticket weaponry items from the United States, including eight diesel-electric submarines, a squadron of 12 P-3C Orion anti-submarine warfare aircraft and six Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile batteries.

    The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its "pan-green" ally -- the Taiwan Solidarity Union -- called a snap-vote Tuesday on putting the issue on the legislative agenda for review after opposition lawmakers were away at another meeting and did not have their usual majority.

    The opposition "pan-blue alliance" of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) has voted down the request for review 41 times. The opposition is expected to reverse the situation at Friday's legislative plenary session.

    The MND originally intended to have all three items financed by a NT$610.8 billion special budget, but later changed its mind and listed the six anti-missile batteries in its 2006 regular budget plan while leaving only the remaining two items in a NT$480 billion special budget plan.

    Speaking at a year-end tea party with military journalists Thursday, Hu said the MND is now considering having the P-3Cs included in the military's regular annual budget, too.

    Hu said the MND's bottom line is to have the submarines retained in the special budget plan to meet the U.S. requirement. The eight submarines will call for an estimated outlay of NT$299 billion. "This is our internal plan and we'll further consult with lawmakers from across the political spectrum to better understand their opinions and seek their support for the critical procurement project," Hu said.

    According to Hu, the military cannot lump all the three items into its regular annual budget plan because such a practice would drain funds for other military build-up plans.

(By Sofia Wu)

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