From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ANGOLA: U.S. ''deeply concerned'' over renewed fighting/RELATE/
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 23:12:53 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: North America
Title: ANGOLA: U.S. ''deeply concerned'' over renewed fighting/RELATE/


att editors: please relate the following to 'angola: peace
returning after violence leaves 200 dead', moved from lisbon

washington, jan 4 (ips) -- the u.s. state department said monday
it was ''deeply concerned'' over the renewed fighting between
government and rebel forces which has broken out in northern and
southern regional capitals in recent days.

spokesperson ed snyder called on both the luanda government
headed by president eduardo dos santos and opposition forces of
the national union for the total independence of angola (unita) to
end the violence and ''follow through on their commitments to
resume a constructive dialogue''.

but u.s. officials told ips they were sceptical the fighting
would stop and that they expected a continuing ''cycle of
violence'' over the coming weeks and months.

''more war'', is how a well placed official contacted by ips
described what he thought will happen next in the southern african
country.

except for a 16-month period between the signing of a peace
accord in may, 1991 and last september's elections in which unita
was defeated, angola has known civil war since its independence in
1975. that war was supposed to have come to a definitive end with
the elections which were swept by dos santos' ruling popular
movement for the liberation of angola (mpla).

despite the fact that the united nations, which monitored the
balloting, found the elections were free and fair, unita leader
jonas savimbi denounced the results and ordered his troops out of
a combined rebel/government army created by the accords.

during october, unita, which was backed by the united states
and south africa during the civil war, extended its control from
its strongholds in the central and southwestern parts of the
country to cover about two-thirds of the national territory.

in bloody weekend fighting in late october, however, unita was
routed from luanda by government troops and civilian militias.
shortly after, unita forces attacked government strongholds in the
north.

by mid-december, fighting appeared to die down, and unita even
withdrew its forces from uige and nagage, two northern towns it
had taken in november. it also agreed to enter talks about its
participation in an interim government. (more/ips)

angola: u.s. ''deeply concerned'' over renewed fighting/relate/(2-e)

angola: u.s. (2)

one u.s. official who met separately with savimbi and dos
santos during a diplomatic mission just before christmas told ips
monday his delegation had left angola ''thinking that both sides
had accepted the need for dialogue''.

but now, he said prospects were ''much worse'', with fighting
reported once again uige and nagage.

the southern city of lubango, the focus of the fiercest
fighting over the weekend, was taken by government forces,
according to reports monitored here, which said at least 200
people were killed there.

in his public statement monday, snyder appeared even-handed in
his assignment of responsibility. noting that each side had blamed
the other for provoking the violence, he said it appeared the
''government had adopted a more aggressive military posture to
counter past unita military gains.''

one u.s. official described the recent moves by luanda as an
effort to ''improve its negotiating position by taking the
initiative against unita as a reaction to their capturing so much
territory.''

he also predicted that unita will have a difficult time
maintaining control over much of the territory it has taken since
october.  ''it cannot continue as a conventional army in large
parts of the country,'' he said.

washington, he said, will continue to back u.n. efforts to
launch a dialogue between the two forces.  he said the two sides
will probably approve an extension of the u.n. mandate in angola
for at least one more month.

but, he added, hopes for a final end to the fighting and a
resumption of a serious negotiation process have probably been
badly set back.

the administration of president george bush had pledged to
normalise ties with any government which emerged from free and
fair elections.

because it saw the mpla as a soviet and cuban client, the
united states is the only western country which did not establish
diplomatic relations with angola after independence.

senior u.s. officials expect the incoming administration of
president-elect bill clinton, which will take office jan. 20, to
formally recognise angola despite the aborted election process.
(end/ips/jl/yjc/92)
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