Armitage Said to Be In Taipei Lobbying for Aircraft Deal

, Former U.S. deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage is lobbying Taipei to use a U.S. arms supplier for its planned billion-dollar purchase of submarine-hunting aircraft, a report said on Sunday. 
 
Armitage has written to President Chen Shui-bian, Premier Su Tseng-chang and Defense Minister Lee Jye asking that L-3 Communications be allowed to bid for the arms deal, the Chinese-language China Times said. 
 
The planned purchase, which is struggling to gain the Legislature's approval, is part of the island's efforts to boost defense capabilities against rival China. 
 
Taiwan's defense ministry has been inclined to reward Lockheed Martin with the contract worth about NT$40 billion (US$1.21 billion), the newspaper said. 
 
“Giving the contract to Lockheed Martin would be in the greatest interest of Taiwan as it is the original manufacturer and is rich in experiences ranging from depot maintenance to personnel training and upgrade of the aircraft,” the paper quoted an unnamed military source as saying. 
 
The 12 aircraft used by the U.S. navy would be refurbished and upgraded before their delivery to Taiwan. 
 
When asked to comment on the report, Premier Su said the deal would be handled in accordance with the law. 
 
U.S. President George W. Bush in 2001 offered the sale of six PAC-3 Patriot anti-missile systems, eight conventional submarines and 12 P-3C aircraft. 
 
However, the mega arms deals have repeatedly been blocked by Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament. The bill's latest version is worth around NT$340 billion (US$10 billion). 
 
Some opposition lawmakers say Taiwan cannot afford the arms deals while others say the submarines would be delivered too slowly to enable the island to keep pace with China's military build-up. 
 
Military analysts said as the P-3C deal is the least controversial, it is expected to receive the nod from the Legislature within the next few months.