Talk of the Day -- Political dogfight takes toll on arms purchase

Bickering between the country's two major political camps back in 2004 has taken its toll on the military's plan to procure two additional Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries from the United States, a local newspaper reported Monday.

The United Daily News (UDN) cited military sources as saying that the Obama administration approved in January 2010 the sale of two additional Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC) III anti-missile systems to Taiwan, but the military has not yet signed the deal because the cost exceeds its budget by 40 percent.

The paper said the U.S. authorities have informed the military that if no progress is made on the project by the end of this year, the previously quoted prices for the systems would be invalidated and that the new prices could be even higher.

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