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US gives Taiwan deadline on aircraft sales: official

The US government has told Taiwan that if the legislature fails to pass the NT$480 billion (US$15.25 billion) US arms procurement bill that includes 12 P-3C maritime patrol aircraft before the end of the month, the US will sell the aircraft to other countries, Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) said yesterday.

"The 12 P-3C aircraft are finished products which the US could sell to other countries at any time. The US government has said it will not wait on Taiwan indefinitely," Lee said.

Regarding the eight diesel-powered submarines that are also part of the arms bill, Lee said that the US wanted Taiwan to give it an answer by the end of this month on whether they will be purchased.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) asked Lee: "If Taiwan fails to pass the special arms bill before the end of the legislative session this month, do you see the possibility that the US government will withdraw its commitment to sell Taiwan eight submarines?"

Lee answered in the affirmative.

He said the US government did not officially tell the defense ministry it would withdraw its offer of submarines to Taiwan. But US government and think tank officials have privately expressed concern that Washington might withdraw its commitment to sell Taiwan the submarines if the bill continues to be delayed, he added.

"If the country is unable to approve the special arms bill and also suffers from a shortfall in its annual defense budgets, the ministry will not be able to effectively protect the country from China's military force by around 2012," Lee said.

With the current legislative session set to conclude by the end of the month, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus whip Chen Chieh (陳杰) and People First Party (PFP) legislative caucus whip Chen Chih-pin (陳志彬) on Sunday told reporters that they will continue to boycott the special arms procurement bill in the final week of this legislative session.

Lee said that while the ministry has proposed a NT$480 billion special arms budget, the ministry would at this point accept a smaller budget of between NT$350 billion to NT$380 billion.

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