Reuters.com - Ethiopia says preparing for any Eritrean invasion

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Ethiopia says preparing for any Eritrean invasion

Thu Jun 28 13:57:53 UTC 2007 (Adds aid official) By Tsegaye Tadesse ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Reuters) - Ethiopia is making military preparations for any possible invasion by arch-foe and neighbour Eritrea, with whom it fought a devastating border war in 1998-2000, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Thursday. "It is deemed necessary to make the necessary military preparation for deterring a possible Eritrean invasion and to repulse such an invasion should it occur," Meles told parliament. Meles gave no specific information of any new threat, but his comments ratcheted up long-hostile rhetoric between the two Horn of Africa nations. Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu dismissed the comments. "This is just posturing which has resulted from paranoia," he told Reuters by telephone from Asmara. After a three-decade guerrilla conflict, Eritrea became independent from Ethiopia in 1993. Their subsequent war, over a border of barren plains and dusty villages, cost 70,000 lives. Unresolved tensions over the border have been compounded in the last year by differences between Eritrea and Ethiopia over Somalia -- where they back different sides -- and Addis Ababa's accusations that Asmara is arming anti-Meles rebel groups. "It's obvious the government of Eritrea will never miss an opportunity to carry out aggression against Ethiopia should there be an opportunity," Meles said. Eritrea's Abdu accused Meles of trying to divert attention from internal problems in Ethiopia, where an opposition crackdown is fuelling tensions, and its involvement in Somalia. Meles said the activity of "terrorists" there had forced him to slow down Ethiopia's withdrawal from its neighbour. BORDER STALEMATE Ethiopia and Eritrea are at a political stalemate over a post-war 2002 ruling by an independent boundary commission. Ethiopia rejects the ruling, which gave a flashpoint town to Eritrea, and wants new talks. Asmara says Addis Ababa and the international community must abide by the decision. The United Nations, which has sent peacekeepers to the contentious border area, says both sides have put more than 5,000 soldiers into the border zone this year. One Western aid official specialising in the Horn of Africa noted a shift in Meles' rhetoric regarding Eritrea. But he said Ethiopia's entanglement in Somalia was likely to inhibit any immediate move towards war. "Meles talks about preparation rather than readiness and that's new," said the official, who declined to be named. He said Meles may have been responding to Eritrea's decision this week to recall all men under the age of 50 who have completed national service for more military training. Analysts say tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea may deteriorate further in the run-up to a November deadline, set by the boundary commission, for the two to demarcate their border. If they fail to do so themselves, the boundary drawn by the commission will stand and U.N. troops are likely to be withdrawn, the aid official said. "Meles is maybe indicating to the United Nations they should reconsider the decision to leave," he added. The Ethiopian leader said Eritrea lacked the political will to resolve the problem through peaceful means. He also reinforced his hardline stance on the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and Oromo Liberation Front rebels, whom he accuses Eritrea of supporting. "From now on, we will take the responsibility to protect the people and the country against armed bandits engaged in destruction and violence," he said. (Additional reporting by Katie Nguyen in Nairobi)

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