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MND TO RESUBMIT REQUEST TO PURCHASE PATRIOT BATTERIES IN 2007

ROC Central News Agency

2006-02-22 19:03:42

    Taipei, Feb. 22 (CNA) National Defense Minister Lee Jye said Wednesday that the Defense Ministry's plan to purchase Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries as part of a major arms procurement package from the United States will be resubmitted to the Legislative Yuan next March.

    Lee said the matter can be discussed after a ban on such discussion expires next March, referring to the failed result of a referendum held in tandem with the 2004 presidential election. The referendum law stipulates that an issue cannot be put to referendum within three years of a previous one.

    The question asked March 20, 2004 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 result was considered invalid because less than 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots.

    Lee told Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng the previous day that he still hopes all three items in the arms procurement deal will be passed by the legislature "to satisfy the country's defense needs at one time, " and that the funds to finance the three items be listed under a regular budget instead of a special budget.

    But to "respect the wishes of the opposition parties, " the ministry will drop the Patriot PAC III missile batteries from the shopping list, Lee said.

    In the past two years, the opposition-controlled legislature has blocked two bills submitted by the Democratic Progressive Party-led government asking for a special budget of NT$480 billion to buy eight diesel-electric submarines, a squadron of 12 P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft and six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries from the United States.

    Lee told Wang that the arms procurement package cannot be stalled any longer and solicited his assistance in letting the two other items of the arms procurement project clear this legislative session early.

(By Lilian Wu)

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