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Arms sales unlikely to be reviewed this session: US official

To the disappointment of Taiwan supporters in the US House of Representatives, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will not soon take up a bill the supporters introduced in late July aimed at pushing the administration of US President George W. Bush to lift a nearly year-long freeze on around US$12 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.

The bill would require that the administration provide Congress with “detailed briefings” on a regular basis on any discussions it has with Taiwan on the arms sales and on any “potential transfer” of weapons to Taiwan.

The briefings would enable Congress to help ensure that the sales go through.

The measure highlights the dismay lawmakers have felt over what they see as the administration’s failure to keep Congress informed on progress toward arms sales to Taiwan and on the reasons behind the freeze, Capitol Hill officials involved in drafting the legislation said.

The bill, which was introduced before Congress went out of session for its annual month-long Fall recess, had been expected to be brought to the committee for a vote this month.

But the committee’s chairman, Howard Berman, excluded the bill from a “markup” session that was scheduled for yesterday, in which the committee votes on bills and passes them on to the full House for deliberation. That session was the last markup for the committee before Congress adjourns on Friday next week.

Despite the omission, the bill’s chief sponsor and the ranking Republican member of the committee, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, remained optimistic it could be approved if Congress holds a “lame-duck” or special final session after the November elections.

“We’re going to continue fighting to make sure that Congress complies with the law of the land, the Taiwan Relations Act, that says the United States will defend Taiwan and will give her whatever equipment she needs,” Ros-Lehtinen told the Taipei Times.

“So I’m optimistic that when we come back, perhaps in the lame-duck session, that we will be able to pass the Taiwan bill that will give the military edge to Taiwan,” she said.

“The reason it has not passed yet is not because of [a] lack of support, just the lack of legislative days on the calendar,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
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