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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ETHIOPIA: Pledge to slash defence spending

ADDIS ABABA, 2 October 2003 (IRIN) - Ethiopia has pledged to limit its defence spending to just two percent of its GDP.

In its recently released Foreign Affairs and National Security Policy, the country says defence spending must be curbed so economic growth is not hampered.

It acknowledges that the spending levels must be “flexible” in the face of a national threat to the nation.

The 156-page policy document argues that a lean professional army with a reserve force would be more cost effective.

“If we stockpile weapons and boast of an invincible army of hundreds of thousands of troops without financial means our economy would collapse,” it said.

“It is possible to create an army which is determined, committed, militarily and theoretically skilled, modern, efficient and organised. This should be done without undue burden on the population.”

“It is essential that we balance our economic development with our defence requirements, and in this way, ensure that everything spent on defence is spent prudently," it added.

“We need to train a sufficient number of qualified soldiers backed by a reserve force in time of emergency, using the very limited resources we have,” the document said.

According to IMF figures, Ethiopia's military spending was cut dramatically after the fall of former Marxist leader Mengistu Haile Mariam.

But it spiralled again in May 1998 during the bloody two-year war with neighbouring Eritrea, when about 13 percent of GDP was spent on arms.

The government believes it can bolster its intelligence and diplomatic services as a reliable way to obtain information on threats to the country.

Themes: (IRIN) Conflict

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