U.S. CONGRESSMAN SAYS NO CHANGE IN ARMS DEAL
ROC Central News Agency
2006-02-22 20:59:36
Taipei, Feb 22 (CNA) U.S. House Representative Rob Simmons said Wednesday that President George W. Bush supports Taiwan's arms procurement deal and does not see any possible change in the deal before the Bush administration leaves office in 2008.
But Simmons, a Republican representing Connecticut and a member of the House Taiwan Caucus, also warned that Taiwan is "running out of time" on the U.S. arms procurement deal, that it is uncertain what the next administration's stance will be, and that submarines are "absolutely critical" for Taiwan's defense. "I also know that President Bush's policy is clear and he supports the sale, " Simmons said. He dismissed reports that the U.S. Navy is not cooperating with Taiwan's purchase of submarines, pointing out that Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command William J. Fallon recently showed full support for the deal and that no navy officers would come out in public against the deal. "President Bush's position is clear: as the president of the United States, he is the commander and chief of the U.S. Navy. And nobody in the navy who values his or her career will publicly state that they are opposed to the president's policy. That is an unsupportable position to have," Simmons said. "This administration is clear with its policy. But in three years the policy could change. It is really important to take advantage of the opportunity the administration has offered and move forward quickly with these programs," he said.
Simmons made the statements in a speech before the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei and took questions from the chamber members and the press.
He pointed out that for U.S. national defense needs, diesel-electric submarines cannot replace the strategic nuclear submarine fleet. He said the alleged fears of certain people in the United States that Congress might prefer the cheaper diesel-electrics to the nuclear ones are "unfounded" and he added that he will not let this fear get in the way of Taiwan's defense.
Simmons said that in order to maintain the cross Taiwan-Strait status quo and a regional balance of forces in the strait, "Taiwan needs to increase its defense budget, even in moderate sums." "Less than 3 percent of gross domestic product is not enough. That's a commitment the people of Taiwan have to make. The United States will not stand up for those who do not stand up for themselves," he warned. "How we handle the Taiwan Strait situation will largely determine how we and the rest of the world deal with a rising China for decades to come," he said. "A strong Taiwan will maintain the status quo of peace and prosperity in the region," he added.
Simmons also said that the arms procurement deal needs to be re-examined and that the price, design and specifications of the submarines needs to be re-evaluated.
He also stressed the importance of cooperation between the United States and Taiwan to "deter aggression and maintain the status quo."
Simmons is visiting Taiwan on a five-day trip to "help bring much-needed work to Electric Boat, " according to a press release from his office. Electric Boat Corp. is a submarine builder in Simmons' home state and one of the builders approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to bid for the Taiwan submarine deal.
Simmons has met with President Chen Shui-bian, Minister of Defense Lee Jye, opposition Kuomintang Chairman Ma Ying-jeou and Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng to discuss the deal.
In the past two years, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party government has asked the Legislative Yuan to pass a plan to buy eight submarines, 12 submarine-hunting aircraft and six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries from the United States, but the plan has been continuously rejected by the opposition-controlled legislature.
(By Debby Wu)
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