Addis Ababa — Ethiopia has said it will not send troops to Somalia because the Mogadishu administration was not in danger of being deposed by Islamic militants.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he believed that president Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's government would not be overthrown easily.

However, he said Ethiopia was ready to support Somalia at any point, including with military aid. "We believe the situation could be stabilised without a deployment of Ethiopian troops," said Mr Meles of escalating violence between the Somali government troops and the Islamic militants.

Although he acknowledged the increasing threat of Al Shabaab and other insurgent groups, he said he did not believe they were capable of toppling the administration.

He said the urgent call made by the Somali parliament last week was a little exaggerated. "Our reading of the situation in Somalia is slightly different from that of the speaker... (who said) that if there was no foreign military intervention within 24 hours, the government would collapse," he said.

Rather than deploying foreign troops, Mr Meles recommended the beefing up of the African Union Amisom peace keepers.

However, Mr Meles said his position would change as soon there was any threat to his country's security and national interests from Somali insurgents.

Ethiopia awaits the Inter Governmental Authority on Development and the African Union's consultations on Somalia, before it takes a final stand. It had also earlier said it could send troops if the mission was mandated by the international community.

In 2006, Ethiopia went toSomalia to support the Somali government and successfully removed Islamic insurgents. Ethiopia withdrew from Somalia at the beginning of this year after a two-year mission.

Ethiopia is pointing an accusing finger at Eritrea's President Isayas Afeworki, saying he was bent on destabilising Somalia, claims which the latter has denied.