Took me ages to find an article on Taiwan talking about purchasing the Rafale and other arms. It's in Chinese though.
台灣國防部長因“鐽震”風波請辭
林楠森
BBC中文網台北特約記者
台灣國防部長李天羽因為推動民營軍火公司引發的政治風波,周六(2月23日)辭職,其遺缺由前副部長蔡明憲接任。
空軍出身的李天羽在他的辭職聲明中說,他自從1963年從軍以來,迭受國家栽培與長官提攜,但因奉命成立鐽震公司未能落實執行,受各界關切疑慮而深感遺憾,因而辭職以明心志。
鐽震公司是台灣政府計劃為整合國防軍火產業而成立的民間公司,該公司雖被定性為民間企業,但原本預計出資的單位主要是國防部以及經濟部底下的國企。
該公司的成立計劃自從上周曝光以來,即不斷受到掌控立法院的國民黨質疑,李天羽在昨天立法院開議時,也受到國民黨立委嚴厲的質詢。
重新考慮鐽震案
行政院長張俊雄說,在未與立法院達成共識之前,原預計投資該公司45%份額的國防部是否仍按計劃出資,有待重新考慮。
行政院秘書長陳景峻在李天羽辭職的新聞發佈會上說,鐽震公司是因為台灣的國家處境,為了發展國防工業必須與私人公司合作,但這已被污名化而不能投資,與其被污名化,政府就不要去做了。
陳景峻並且批評立委在質詢中,將一些台灣有意向法國購買武器清單曝光的作法,他說這將使得國家安全受影響。
國民黨立委張顯耀昨天在立法院質詢中表示,鐽震公司在一月底成立後,國防部即邀請法國造艦局副總裁訪台,洽談有關購買八艘獵雷艦,飆風戰鬥機,拉法葉艦後續武裝,以及幻影戰鬥機的空地導彈。
新任部長
陳景峻說,由蔡明憲出任國防部長,是因為其對立法院運作相當清楚,並曾任國防部副部長,因此在文人部長中其經歷與資歷足夠。
即將接任國防部長的蔡明憲是律師出身,在台灣戒嚴時期曾於海外推動台獨運動,民進黨執政後他除任職過國防部外,並擔任過國安會副秘書長以及駐美國副代表等職務。
蔡明憲除了是民進黨執政近八年以來,首位非軍人出身的國防部長外,同時也是首位民進黨員出任此一職務。
Taiwan News Quick Take (From Taipei Times)
STAFF WRITER , WITH CNA
Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008, Page 4
■ DEFENSE
Cooperating with France
Minister of National Defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) yesterday denied that the ministry was planning to carry out the "Diamond Plan" with France, but said that military cooperation and communication between Taiwan and France had never stopped. "The `Diamond Plan' was a research project conducted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Aero-space Industrial Development Corp [漢翔公司]. It has nothing to do with us," Tsai told the legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee yesterday morning. Tsai was responding to a question from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), who asked him about a plan to purchase French-made Dassault Rafale fighters, upgrade the navy's Lafayette-class frigates and purchase French-made mine-sweepers. "I cannot reveal any more details because our relationship with France concerns national security. But I assure you that we have been doing our best," Tsai said.