MND confirms plan to buy F-16s

The message was passed on to the ministry by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, the official said.

Wang refused to comment when asked about the text of the message, but he did say that the delay in passage of the arms bill would impact national security.

According to the government's budget statement for the next fiscal year, defense expenditures will reach NT$311.5 billion (US$9.465 million), an increase of NT$70.9 billion (or 29.5 percent) over this year. Most of the increase is because of arms procurements.

Meanwhile, the Central News Agency reported yesterday that Defense News, a US weekly, said the US has not agreed to the F-16 deal because of the long-stalled arms procurement bill.

That package calls for the purchase of P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft and PAC-III Patriot anti-missile systems, as well as diesel-electric submarines.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-min (帥化民) said yesterday that he had learned the White House had put the fighter jet deal on ice for the time being.

"As far as I know, the delay of the arms bill was just one of the reasons for the US to reconsider its arms sale. The president's [Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁)] intention to write a new constitution and change the name of the country were also of concern to the US," Shuai said.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠) said that he didn't have any information that the stalled arms bill would influence other weapon sales.

"But if it does, that would be the price that we have to pay," Shen said.