BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific - Political / October 2, 2006 Monday
Taiwan defence minister says plan to buy US jet fighters suspended by
Bush
Text of report by Lilian Wu in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency
website
Taipei, 2 October: Taiwan's plan to buy 66 F16C/D jet fighters from the
United States has been suspended by President George W. Bush, Minister
of National Defence Lee Jye said Monday [2 October].
In a report to the Legislative Yuan's National Defence Committee, Lee
said the US stance is that until a long-stalled arms purchase package clears
the legislature, it does not see Taiwan as having a consistent military
procurement plan.
Lee was referring to a package of six Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile
batteries, a squadron of 12 anti-submarine P-3C aircraft and eight diesel-electric submarines, which has been blocked by the opposition-dominated
legislature for more than two years.
Lee noted that US officials in charge of military purchase had promised
to sell the F16C/D aircraft.
The American Institute in Taiwan, the quasi-official organization
authorized by the US to handle ties with Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties, had also agreed to offer quoting price to various allies to the island for
reference. However, Taiwan has received no response since late August.
But Lee said he believes that if the three-item arms procurement
project clears the legislature, the F16 fighter procurement will also be
revived.
The ministry is hoping to buy the F16C/Ds to replace the Air Force's
F5E and F5F aircraft, which are being phased out over the next few years.
According to media reports, even if Taiwan is permitted to buy the
F16C/Ds, they will not be delivered until 2011. By that time, Taiwan's
self-developed IDFs will have been in service for nearly 20 years and the F16A/Bs purchased from the US will have been in service for more than 15 years.
Meanwhile, the ministry's plan to buy eight to 12 seal delivery
vehicles (SDVs) from the United Arab Emirates has been aborted, Lee said.
Lee said that the purchase of the SDVs - a type of mini submarine - was
suspended after news of the intended purchase was leaked.
Lee denied reports that the military has asked some government agencies
to pay a deposit of between 4m US dollars and 5m US dollars for the mini
subs, claiming that "we haven't paid anything, not even one cent." A SDV is a
safer version of the special suicide mini-sub the Japanese Imperial
Navy used in a surprise attack on Pearl Harbour on 8 December, 1941.
Source: Central News Agency website, Taipei, in English 1117 gmt 2 Oct
06