From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Jul 28 2008 - 07:54:49 EDT
(APA) Ethiopian army claims it's ready to fight Eritrea
2008-07-24
Ethiopian army warns it's ready to fight aggression by Eritrea
APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The Ethiopian army is ready to fight and conclude
a war with Eritrea "in a very short time and with little cost", a high
ranking military official said on Wednesday.
Major General Seare Mekonnen, head of the Ethiopian southern army, said the
Ethiopian army has been making preparations to safeguard the country from
any aggression from Eritrea.
"If Eritrea wants to be involved in war with our country, the army is ready
to finalize the war in a very short time and with little cost,\" said
Mekonnen said.
He was speaking at the commemoration of the Ethiopian millennium by the army
in northern Ethiopia in the presence of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bloody border war in 1999 in which over 70,000
troops from both sides were reported to have died.
The two countries are highly militarized with Eritrea reported to have
around 300,000 troops and Ethiopia about 200,000.
The border between the two countries has been demilitarized as a buffer zone
and is under a United Nations mission but remains tense and volatile.
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