BBC News with Marion Marshall
The internationally recognised winner of the presidential election in Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has called on the West African regional grouping Ecowas to
send in
special forces to remove his rival Laurent Gbagbo from power. Mr Ouattara said Ecowas must take the necessary measures which included legitimate force.
"During the month of January, Laurent Gbagbo will no longer be in power. Before the end of the month, he will leave. He will leave one way or the other."
Mr Ouattara was speaking from a hotel where he's under UN protection, but surrounded by Ivorian military checkpoints. The American Treasury has, meanwhile, said it's banned all US citizens from financial dealings with Mr Gbagbo and his inner circle.
The American Defence Secretary Robert Gates says he wants to make cuts of nearly $80bn in the military budget over the next five years. He said the action was required to help bring the country's
ballooning
fiscal deficit under control.
"A major objective beyond creating monetary savings is to make this department less
cumbersome
, less top heavy and more
agile
and effective in the execution of its responsibilities.
My hope and expectation is that as a result of these changes over time, what had been a culture of endless money, where cost was rarely a consideration, will become a culture of savings and
restrain