Mixed reaction to Zimbabwe budget

There's been a mixed reaction to the annual budget in Zimbabwe, which was presented to parliament yesterday by the finance minister, Simba Makoni.

There's been a broad welcome for Mr Makoni's admission that the economy is in crisis, but a feeling that his prescriptions do not go far enough to resolve the problems.

Mr Makoni announced a cut of around fifteen per cent in the operational military budget, but correspondents say that with the high level of inflation in Zimbabwe, this cut is likely to be much deeper in real terms.

Mr Makoni said the reduction was in anticipation of an end to the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Zimbabwe has more than ten-thousand troops supporting President Kabila.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service