Ho was seeking to reaffirm a deal to buy 66 F-16C/D fighter jets after concerns the United States appeared to be dragging its feet on finalising arrangements, the newspaper said.

The US reportedly agreed last year to sell the jets to Taiwan on condition the island passed a budget worth 10 billion US dollars for US arms procurement.

Taiwan's parliament last month passed part of the 10-billion-dollar bill worth 9.8 billion Taiwan dollars (300 million US).

But it froze the proposed package worth 16 billion Taiwan dollars for the fighter deal pending a formal offer and quotes from the US.

The total arms package called in part for the purchase of six PAC-3 Patriot anti-missile systems, eight conventional submarines and 12 P-3C aircraft.

It was first offered by US President George W. Bush in 2001 as a way to bolster Taiwan's defence against China.

The US is the leading arms supplier to Taiwan despite its switch of diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 at the end of a civil war. Beijing still claims sovereignty over Taiwan and opposes Washington to sell any advanced weaponry to the island.

related report

Taiwan Mulls Rare National Day Military Parade
Taipei (AFP) July 22 - Taiwan is considering staging its first National Day military parade in more than a decade to show off its arms build-up, the defence ministry spokesman said Sunday, amid China's growing perceived threat. "We may hold a military parade on the National Day... so that the training results of the armed forces could be presented before the eyes of our countrymen," Major General Yu Sy-tue told AFP.

But he said the proposal was pending a final decision by the ad hoc national day celebrations committee to be presided over by parliament speaker Wang Jin-pyng.

The military parade would be the first since 1991 when thousands of military cadets and rank and file goose-stepped through the square in front of the presidential office in celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Republic of China, Taiwan's official title.

The Taipei-based Liberty Times said fighters would fly by during the celebrations while the armed forces put their tanks, missiles and other weaponry on display.

The National Day celebrations on October 10 would be the last under President Chen Shui-bian who is nearing the end of his second and final term.

Yu rejected criticism from the opposition, saying the proposed military parade was not politically motivated.

Chen, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, has repeatedly accused China of provoking the island by targeting it with nearly 1,000 missiles.

China has vowed to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence although they have been governed separately since 1949 at the end of a civil war

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