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ARMS PROCUREMENT HINGES ON TAIWAN'S NEEDS, REASONABLE COST: PFP

ROC Central News Agency

2006-10-29 21:24:32

    Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) Whether a proposed defense procurement bill passes in the legislature should depend on whether the items fulfil Taiwan's urgent needs and whether the pricetag is reasonable, James Soong, chairman of the opposition People First Party (PFP) said Sunday.

    Soong, who is currently on leave from the PFP chairmanship to run in the year-end Taipei mayoral election as an independent, reiterated his party's position that the PFP does not object to military procurement, but only opposes buying weapons at extravagant prices.

    He criticized the United States for not selling Taiwan the sophisticated weapons that it really needs. Citing one example, he said instead of selling Taiwan Aegis-class battleships, the U.S. government was only willing to sell four Kidd-class destroyers that had been mothballed for 20 years.

    Soong was also critical of the PFP's "pan-blue" ally -- the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) -- for vacillating on the issue.

    He said if the KMT wanted to let the military procurement budget bill pass in the legislature it should not expect the PFP's cooperation, although there is nothing the PFP could do to stop it from doing so. He acknowledged the KMT could easily pass the bill by working with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, because at present the KMT holds the majority in the legislature with 89 seats.

    Soong stressed the PFP's position on weapons procurement will not change despite a public statement by Stephen Young, the Taipei Office director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), at a press conference three days ago, warning that if Taiwan does not pass the legislation by November, it may miss the last opportunity for a weapons deal with the United States.

    The AIT is a semi-official organization that handles relations with Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.

    Noting the Bush administration backed Young's statement and warned that Taiwan could "inherit a mess of a government with the U.S.-Taiwan relationship in a downward spiral" if it continues to ignore its national security, Soong said such remarks are "simply nonsense." "The relationship between Taiwan and the United States has been a mess ever since the United States abandoned Taiwan and severed diplomatic relations with it in 1979," Soong said.

    Soong said that during a visit to the United States, American officials had agreed with him that China is unlikely to use force against Taiwan as long as Taiwan does not seek de jure independence.

    He added that it is important for Taiwan to refrain from seeking de jure independence if it wants to ensure its national security.

(By Han Nai-kuo)

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