Biti calls on Mugabe and Tsvangirai to cut on foreign travels

The Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti says the country's budget deficit will swell over $700 million and called on President Mugabe and his cabinet ministers to cut on foreign travels, Daily News reported on Wednesday.

Presenting his mid-term budget to Parliament yesterday afternoon Biti said foreign trips that have been undertaken by the President, Prime Minister and cabinet ministers were unsustainable.

He described the foreign travel expenditure as the "Achilles heel" the 2011 budget, adding that the budget deficit would increase the $7 billion debt that the country is battling with.

"The Achilles heel of our expenditure is traveling, foreign traveling. Foreign travel expenditure remains disproportionately high in comparison to other budget items including priority capital projects," Biti said.

"We have spent over $30 million on traveling up to the end of June 2011. I haven't included the July 2011 travel. Compare and juxtapose that with what we have spent on education, health service, water and sanitation," said Biti.

"I have an appeal to the leadership of government to deal desperately, urgently, expeditiously, viciously and boldly with this disease called foreign travel and I know they are listening," he said.

Biti said government had a budget deficit of $700 million.