Defusing a Bar-Fight by Handing One Guy a Broken Bottle
Taiwanese Leader Hails Weapons Deal With U.S.
By Jane Rickards Special to The Washington Post Sunday, October 5, 2008; A21
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct. 4 -- Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou on Saturday welcomed U.S. plans to sell the island almost $6.5 billion in weaponry, a move that appeared to repair years of frayed ties between Taiwan and the administration.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement released Friday that it had notified Congress about the sale, which marks Taiwan's first purchase of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air guided missile defense system.
"We think this announcement from the U.S. government is a sign that the past eight years of discord are over," Ma said in a statement.
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