Ethiopia ups military budget, blames Eritrea threat

[The_Patriot]

Ethiopia ups military budget, blames Eritrea threat

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

27 November 2007 01:15

Ethiopia has boosted its defence budget by more than $54-million to gird for a possible resumption of hostilities with Eritrea over their disputed border, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Parliament on Tuesday.

"Our military budget has been raised proportionally from three billion to 3,5-billion birr [a rise of 16,7%, equivalent to $54,3-million]," Meles said.

The rise was "only 1,7% of our total budget", he added. Ethiopia's total budget is estimated at more than $22-billion.

"The Eritrean government has repeatedly opposed our request to negotiate the implementation of the border and warned of a repeat of full-out war. As a result, we had to build our defence capabilities," Meles said.

"We believe the government in Asmara is well aware of our capabilities and another invasion would lead to their downfall," he warned.

Eritrea last week said Addis Ababa's rejection of a 2002 frontier ruling by the United Nations-appointed Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, granting the flashpoint town of Badme to Asmara, was an aggression.

The stand-off between the two neighbours has worsened -- with much flexing of military muscle -- ahead of the expiration this week of the commission's mandate to fix the border.

Earlier this month UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the military build-up along the border and urged the two countries to break the stalemate in efforts to demarcate the disputed frontier.

A 1998 to 2000 border war between the two countries left 70 000 people dead. -- AFP