Ethiopia Building Up Army, PM Says

By ANITA POWELL

The Associated Press
Thursday, June 28, 2007

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Ethiopia's prime minister said Thursday he is building up the army's capabilities because he fears an imminent attack by Eritrea, which he also accused of arming rebel groups inside his country.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, in a routine address to parliament, said the Eritrean government was not cooperating in efforts to end a border dispute between the two countries and that the Ethiopian army needed to be prepared for an attack.

"It is deemed necessary to make the necessary military preparations for deterring a possible Eritrean invasion and to repulse such an invasion should it occur," Meles said.

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war. Following a 1998-2000 border war that left tens of thousands dead, the neighbors initially promised to accept a U.N. boundary commission's 2002 ruling awarding the town of Badme to Eritrea, but Ethiopia has not handed it over.

The Eritrean information minister, Ali Abdu, said his government was not planning to attack Ethiopia.

"It is totally fabricated and political posturing with the intention of diverting the attention of the Ethiopian people," he said.

Meles also warned that Eritrea may try to disrupt or strike during Ethiopian Millennium celebrations in September. Ethiopia is fighting two rebel forces, one in the eastern Ogaden region and the other in the southern Oromia region. The Ogaden National Liberation Front has recently carried out several attacks along the Somali and Eritrean borders.

Washington Post