NO ARMS PURCHASE THROUGH UAE: VICE DEFENSE MINISTER
ROC Central News Agency
2006-05-08 16:39:40
Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Vice Minister of Defense Chu Kai-sheng said Monday that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has not proposed purchasing large amounts of arms through the United Arab Emirates.
Chu declined to comment on whether the MND is planning to buy small commando submarines from the UAE.
He made the remarks in reply to a question from opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang during a committee meeting at the Legislative Yuan regarding possible military cooperation between Taiwan, the UAE or another third party following President Chen Shui-bian's stopover in Abu Dhabi on his way to a visit to Latin America.
International controls on arms transaction are very tight and it is impossible to acquire arms "unless we can get export permission and end-user certificates, " Chu said, adding that any arms procurement or weaponry sales must be conducted via legal procedures.
Chu said the MND would send a procurement bill to the Legislative Yuan prior to any arms transactions.
Lin raised the question because a KMT legislator claimed that Chen's stopover in Abu Dhabi and the re-establishment of direct transportation links between the two countries were tied to purchasing arms from the UAE.
He added that Taiwan acquires most of its military weapons from the United States and said the MND should make it clear if there are any arms deals between Taiwan and the UAE.
According to Lin, it would be "illusory and unprofessional" to buy two-person mini-subs from the UAE because, he claimed, such equipment "doesn't fit in with modern warfare."
(By Timothy J. Hwang)
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