From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: MOZAMBIQUE: U.S. welcomes ceasefire accord
Date: 13 Oct 92 03:56:21 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: North America
Title: MOZAMBIQUE: U.S. welcomes ceasefire accord


washington, oct 5 (ips) -- the u.s. state department monday
''warmly welcomed'' sunday's signing in rome of a peace accord
between the mozambican government and the renamo rebel movement.

''the agreement brings to an end the long-standing mozambican
civil conflict, the last major armed struggle in southern
africa,'' said spokesperson richard boucher.

washington, which flirted during the mid-1980s with supporting
renamo, ended by backing the government of president joaquim
chissano to which it has provided more aid since 1990 than any
other sub-saharan african country.

last year, the united states supplied maputo with some 50
million dollars in economic assistance and about 70 million
dollars in humanitarian aid.

boucher said the accord, mediated through the italian
government and the catholic lay organisation, sant' egidio,
provides for multi-party elections within 12 months and immediate
steps towards the destabilisation of combatants.

it also requires ratification by mozambique's legislature, an
act boucher said was expected this week.

the united nations is also expected to play a ''key role in
monitoring the implementation of the agreement,'' boucher said.

assistant secretary of state for african affairs herman cohen
attended the signing ceremony.  washington was an official
observer to the negotiations and provided technical negotiating
assistance for the rome talks since they were begun in 1990.

boucher also praised the roles played by zimbabwean president
robert mugabe, botswana's president quint masire, and the
governments of portugal, britain, france, and south africa,  which
also witnessed the talks.  he urged all of them to remain involved
in the process during implementation.

renamo, created by rhodesia in 1977 in retaliation for
mozambican support for zimbabwean rebels, came under south african
sponsorship in 1980 when mugabe swept the elections leading up to
zimbabwe's independence.

pretoria tried to interest the new administration of former
president ronald reagan in also taking a stake in the renamo
insurgency, but the state department and congress strongly
resisted any approach. (more/ips)

mozambique: u.s. welcomes ceasefire accord(2-e)

mozambique: u.s. (2)

the split characterised u.s. policy towards mozambique until
1986, when the iran-contra affair caused policymakers to decide
against any intervention on the side of the rebels who, by then,
had earned a reputation for brutality and violence.

the scandal, however, uncovered some evidence that the director
of the central intelligence agency (cia), william casey, and
national security council aide oliver north may have diverted some
weapons to south africa possibly for use by renamo as part of
their common effort to build an ''off-the-shelf'' covert
capability beyond the purview of congress.

in 1988, the state department commissioned an independent
report on renamo. that report accused the group of responsibility
for the deaths of up to 100,000 civilians, and ended resistance in
congress to providing aid to maputo. washington quickly became the
country's main food donor.

the following year, chissano offered to open peace talks with
renamo, and soviet military advisers began withdrawing from the
country.

shortly after the inauguration of president george bush in
1989, washington moved to end trade and other economic sanctions
leveled against mozambique by the reagan administration.
(end/ips/ip/jl/yjc/92)