S'pore doesn't store nuclear weapons for U.S.

S'pore doesn't store nuclear weapons for U.S.

SINGAPORE (AP): In an unusual parliamentary debate in
Singapore, several legislators demanded information from the
government on Wednesday about the city-state's secret military
agreement with the United States.

While no one seems to fear hidden nuclear weapons in
Singapore, opposition veteran Joshua "J.B." Jeyaretnam raised
that issue when he said he doesn't understand why the 1990
military accord remains classified.

"There are no nuclear weapons stored in Singapore," David Lim,
the minister of state for defense, replied, adding that
classified military pacts with the United States are in
accordance with the city-state's nuclear-free policy.

In Singapore, where the government controls 96 percent of the
elected seats in parliament, strong debates about its policies
are rare.

The city-state apparently stored nuclear weapons for another
country before, albeit unwittingly. Britain kept nuclear weapons
at its bases in Singapore during the Cold War without telling the
Singapore government, according to a study published in the
January/February edition of the Chicago-based Bulletin of Atomic
Scientists.

Some members of Singapore's Parliament think it could happen
again.

"Why can't the public know exactly, to see what is the
agreement between Singapore and the U.S. government?" Jeyaretnam
asked about a Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed by
former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and former U.S. vice president
Dan Quayle, giving the United States greater access to Singapore
military facilities.

Legislator Simon Tay also joined the debate, asking if the
pact was in line with the nuclear-free treaty that Singapore and
the other members of the region's Association of Southeast Asian
Nations group have signed.

U.S. Embassy official Tom Gradisher said on Wednesday that the
1990 pact was classified because it contained sensitive
information. He declined to comment on whether the pact mentions
nuclear weapons.

Lim and U.S. embassy officials said the pact did not put U.S.
forces above the law, another issue that Jeyaretnam asked about
on Wednesday.

"Are they subject to our laws?" Lim said of U.S. forces often
seen in Singapore. "Yes. If they break our laws, yes."
Singapore and the United States have close military ties.

Despite its small size and peaceful prosperity, Singapore
plans to spend S$7.82 billion (US$4.8 billion) defending itself
in 2001.

U.S. soldiers and sailors are a common site in the city-
state's bars and shopping malls, and Singapore is in the process
of building a naval base big enough to berth U.S. aircraft
carriers.