Taipei, March 19, SPA -- The head of Taiwan's main opposition Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT), Ma Ying-jeou, Sunday left for a 10-day visit to the US, where he is expected to talk with senior officials in Washington over arms purchases and other political issues. Ma, the highly popular opposition frontrunner for the next presidential elections in 2008, told reporters before leaving Taiwan that he would uphold the opposition's position over the controversial US arms deal approved by Washington in 2001 despite China's protests. "During our communications with the US, we will adhere to our position over the overall arms purchase policy and there is no likelihood that we will compromise (with the US) over our position," said Ma. But he agreed that Taiwan must still maintain an appropriate defense power for self protection and "also to demonstrate our determination to safeguard ourselves in the face of the current situation." --more 15 27 Local Time 12 27 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/346733