BBC NEWS | Africa | Ethiopia hints at leaving Somalia
Ethiopia invaded its neighbour in 2006 to oust an Islamist militia and re-install the transitional government.
He told the UK's Financial Times paper that financial pressures had to be taken into account and said the commitment was not open ended.
The withdrawal of Ethiopians is a key demand of the Islamist insurgents.
Al-Shabab, the radical wing of the Islamists who controlled much of Somalia in 2006, has refused to recognise a recent UN-brokered agreement the interim government has signed with an opposition group including a top Islamist leader.
It has demanded that Ethiopian troops leave Somalia before any ceasefire is considered.
Somalia has experienced almost constant civil conflict since the collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in January 1991.
'Lose patience'
"The operation has been extremely expensive so we will have to balance the domestic pressures on the one hand and pressures in Somalia on the other and try to come up with a balanced solution," Mr Meles told the Financial Times.
Ethiopia invaded its neighbour in 2006 to oust an Islamist militia and re-install the transitional government.
He told the UK's Financial Times paper that financial pressures had to be taken into account and said the commitment was not open ended.
The withdrawal of Ethiopians is a key demand of the Islamist insurgents.
Al-Shabab, the radical wing of the Islamists who controlled much of Somalia in 2006, has refused to recognise a recent UN-brokered agreement the interim government has signed with an opposition group including a top Islamist leader.
It has demanded that Ethiopian troops leave Somalia before any ceasefire is considered.
Somalia has experienced almost constant civil conflict since the collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in January 1991.
'Lose patience'
"The operation has been extremely expensive so we will have to balance the domestic pressures on the one hand and pressures in Somalia on the other and try to come up with a balanced solution," Mr Meles told the Financial Times.
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