From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:MOZAMBIQUE: ''WE ARE NOT SOMALIA,'' PRIME MINISTER SAYS
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 17:53:13 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

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

Reference: Africa, east
Title: MOZAMBIQUE: ''WE ARE NOT SOMALIA,'' PRIME MINISTER SAYS


paris, dec 11 (ips/pablo azocar) -- prime minister mario de graca
machungo vehemently denied thursday that the situation in
mozambique was comparable to the crisis in somalia.

''we are not somolia and we will not become so, because we
have managed to control the food crisis,'' machungo told ips in
an interview, following meetings with officials of the world
bank.

despite the fact that both countries have been plagued by
drought, civil war, hunger and displaced populations, machungo
criticised the reiterated comparisons between mozambique and
somalia.

''it's true that, at one time, it looked as if we were on the
road to becoming another somalia, but since october, our
situation has changed completely,'' he said.

machungo was implicitly criticising several french
non-governmental organisations (ngos), that in the past week have
claimed the situation in somalia was not very different from that
in mozambique and sudan.

machungo said the food crisis in mozambique ''is under
control,'' and expressed ''surprise'' at the alarmist tone
adopted by the ngos.

''thanks to the signing of peace accords, we have been able to
control the hunger problem,'' machungo added.

on oct. 4, the government of president joaqhim chissano and
the mozambican national resistence movement (renamo) formally
ended 16 years of civil war, signing united nations sponsored
peace accords in rome.

on monday, u.n. secretary general boutros boutros-ghali
proposed to the security council the creation of a u.n. peace
force of some 7,500 men to help supervise the process.

so far, with boutros-ghali's proposal still awaiting debate
and ratification, the united nations has only authorised the
sending of 20 military observers to maputo.

the mozambican prime minister said one of the goals of his
visit to paris was to garner ''the political support'' to ''force
all sides to respect the peace accords.''

machungo said the secretary general's proposal was ''a
triumph'' for mozambican diplomacy and a way ''to guarantee that
the peace accords are totally effective.''

nevertheless, machungo said that general elections scheduled
for oct. 1993 ''will very probably have to be moved back.''
(more/ips)
----


mozambique: ''we  (2)

''we have a very complex military problem facing us, of
gathering and controlling men and arms, and of initiating an
entire electoral process.  this could push the dates back.''

since the outbreak of civil war in 1977, it is estimated that
some one million people (out of a total population of 15.6
million) died as a result of the conflict.

according to the united nations, there are currently three
million displaced persons inside the country and another two
million exiles in neighbouring nations.

in addition to shoring up the peace process, the mozambican
mission's visit to paris focussed on finding ways to solve the
country's debt crisis.

mozambique's foreign debt is currently some 4.9 billion
dollars.

mozambican authorites met wednesday and thursday with
international creditors and financial officials.

on thursday, finance minister eneas da conceicao comiche told
journalists that mozambique hoped to reduce its debt by 50
percent in the coming year.

currently, mozambican exports are only able to cover 12
percent of what the country spends in imports and servicing its
foreign debt.

comiche said that new terms and forms of payment were
discussed, and that ''we were able to gather some 1.2 billion
dollars in new credits and donations, which is enough to cover
our costs, including those of the peace process, for 1993.''

according to comiche, demobilisation of troops from both sides
will cost some 83 million dollars, and the organisation of
elections will require another 80 million.  the finance minister
said that several donor nations have already committed to
meeting these costs.

comiche also insisted that certain types of debt, including
mozambique's military debt to the former soviet union, must be
annulled outright.

for his part, the world bank's director for southern africa,
stephen denning, said that mozambique's creditors
''congradulated'' the country ''for its determination to apply
the peace plan and undertake a programme of economic reforms.''
(end/ips/trd/so/pa/ego/eli/92)