NPSU TO CONSIDER ARMS BILL IF FUNDED BY ANNUAL BUDGET
ROC Central News Agency
2006-01-11 19:14:47
Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) would consider supporting a controversial arms deal with the United States if all funds required for the arms purchase were to be listed in regular annual budgets, an NPSU legislator said Wednesday.
Lin Ping-kun, chief convener of the NPSU caucus at the Legislative Yuan, made the remarks during a telephone interview with CNA on the eve of a legislative vote on an arms procurement bill for six Patriot III anti-missile batteries, eight diesel-electric submarines and 12 P-3C Orion submarine-hunting aircraft.
The NPSU's stance that the arms package should not be financed by a special budget is very clear, Lin said, adding that if the funding for the arms procurement were to be listed in a regular annual budget instead of in a special budget, the NPSU legislative caucus would consider throwing its support behind the bill.
Legislators from across the political spectrum completed their second round of negotiations the previous day over the government's 2006 general budget, with around 30 items to be put to a vote on a plenary legislative session slated for Thursday, including budgets listed for the arms package.
Opposition legislators have barred the arms procurement bill from full-house deliberation since 2004. In addition to what the opposition claims is the "exorbitant price" of the weapons, the legislators also object to the procurement being financed by a special budget.
The initial price tag was NT$610.8 billion, but the Ministry of National Defense later reduced it to NT$480 billion after the opposition lawmakers rejected the bill.
(By Luis Huang)
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