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PATRIOT PAC III MISSILES OFF SHOPPING LIST: DEFENSE MINISTER

ROC Central News Agency

2006-02-21 22:31:46

    Taipei, Feb. 21 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is willing to remove Patriot PAC III missiles from a controversial weapons package from the United States "out of respect" for the opposition parties, National Defense Minister Lee Jye said Tuesday.

    Lee was reflecting the attitude of the military on the arms purchase package while answering questions from legislators on behalf of Premier Su Tseng-chang at an interpellation session in the Legislative Yuan.

    As for two other items -- eight diesel-electric submarines and 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft -- in the procurement plan, Lee said the MND favors having them included in a regular fiscal budget instead of a special budget.

    The premier urged the legislature to support the military procurement plan and pass related legislation as soon as possible to appropriate the needed funds, be it in the form of a regular budget or a special budget.

    In the past two years, the opposition-controlled legislature has blocked two bills submitted by the Democratic Progressive Party-led government that would ask for a special budget of NT$480 billion to buy the submarines, submarine hunting aircraft and six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries from the United States.

    The legislative caucuses of the two major opposition parties -- the Kuomintang and the People First Party -- have argued that a 2004 referendum vetoed the proposed purchase of the missile batteries, which would cost NT$140 billion.

    One of the two questions asked in the referendum held at the same time as the last presidential election was: "Should China refuse to withdraw the missiles it has targeted at Taiwan and to openly renounce the use of force against us, would you agree that the government should acquire more advanced anti-missile weapons to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities?"

    The referendum proposal was defeated because less than 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots.

    Opposition legislators have pointed out that according to law, the issue of buying the Patriot PAC III batteries should not raised again within three years of the referendum.

(By Han Nai-kuo)

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