Taiwan not yet notified of U.S. decision on arms deal: MND
ROC Central News Agency
2011/09/20 17:56:25
By Chen Pei-huang and C.J. Lin
Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has not received any official notice of the United States' final decision on the sale of F-16 C/D fighter jets to Taiwan, MND spokesman Luo Shou-he said Tuesday at a press conference in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan.
The spokesman was responding to Associated Press reports this week that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama had decided against selling Taiwan F-16 C/D jet fighters but planned to offer to upgrade Taiwan's fleet of F-16 A/B aircraft.
The administration will notify Congress on Wednesday of the decision, AP said, citing a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
But Luo said the MND had not received any notification of the U.S. decision on the arms sales and that the information would come through official diplomatic channels.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan usually follow specific protocols, he said. Once U.S. administrative departments and Congress reach an agreement on the sale, the U.S. Department of State will send a formal notice to Congress.
The Congress then has a 30-day period to dissent and if no opposition is raised, it means the arms sale is officially sealed, Luo said.
In its analysis of the issue, AP said an upgrade of Taiwan's existing F-16 A/B fighter fleet would offer a win-win situation for both countries by providing thousands of new job opportunities in the U.S. and giving the island's old fighter jets a badly needed overhaul.
While retrofitting Taiwan's fleet will be much faster than acquiring brand new planes, AP said, the country will still have to resolve the issue of replacing obsolete military aircraft models such as its French-made Mirage jets and U.S. F-5s.
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