Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said Sunday it has no comment on foreign media reports that Airbus said a day before it had been fined 104 million euros (US$128 million) for a dispute dating from 1992 over missile sales to Taiwan by the Matra group, which was later acquired by the aerospace giant.

Airbus said in a statement it had been ordered by an arbitration court to pay the fine "for a complaint of breach of contract concerning the sale of missiles," according to an AFP report.

Matra Defence S.A.S., which joined the Airbus group in 1998, said for its part it was "studying the fine and evaluating next steps," the statement said.

An Airbus spokesman declined to provide details on the case when contacted by AFP, according to the report.

Meanwhile, French newspaper Quest France revealed that Airbus would have to pay 104 million euros in compensation to Taiwan following international arbitration on the commercial dispute.

Matra Defence S.A.S. was accused of jacking up the prices and remitting commissions to a middleman who was not authorized by Taiwan at that time, according to RFI, a French public radio service.

When asked about the case by CNA, MND spokesman Chen Chung-ji (陳中吉) said the ministry has no comment on the matter and will not give further information about the case.

(By Lu Hsin-hui, Tzeng Yi-shiuan and Evelyn Kao)
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