Evening star., 1961-12-27
Belgium S Tie
With Congo
Is Restored

LEOPOLDVILLE, the Congo,
Dec. 81 (AP). - Belgium re-
sumed diplomatic relations with
the Congo today, strengthening
Premier Cyrille Adoula's hand
in dealing with Katanga's
secession.
The restoration of relations
was announced as Parliament
awaited the arrival of Katangan
members to take their seats as
provided in Mr.. Adoula's recent
unity agreement with Katangan
President Noise Tshombe.
Relations with Belgium, for
mer colonial ruler Of the Congo,
were broken II months ago in a
fit of anticolonial fury. The
late leftist Premier Patrice
Lumumba was angered because
Belgium tried to protect its
citizens and property with
troops during the riots after
independence.
Belgian interests also sup
ported Mr.. Tshombe in his
defiance of the central govern
ment. Belgium investment is
heavy in the copper, uranium
and other mineral riches of
Katanga.
Unity Now Favored
Gradually, the Belgian gov
ernment and commercial in
terests in Brussels have swung
around to favor Congo unity
under a central government in
Leopoldville, much to Mr..
Tshombe's annoyance.
A central government was
provided in the constitution
Belgium drafted for it's colony,
but the chaos that ensued after
independence was granted in
1860 kept the constitution from
being ratified by Parliament.
The 15-member Katang a
parliamentary delegation, to be
flown from the Katangan cap
ital of Elisabethville in a U. N.
plane, is expected to propose
changes in the constitution to
give provinces greater freedom
from Leopoldville'S control.
The pact signed by Mr..
Adoula and Mr.. Tshombe at
the U. N. base of Kitona rec
ognized the central govern
ment's control over Katanga,
but the Katanga leader never
has dropped his objections to
a strong central regime.
His katanga cabinet ruled
that it was not competent to
ratify te Kitona agreement
and passed it tot he provincial
assembly, move which Presi-
dent Adoula said torpedoed
"the last effort to resolve the
Katanga crisis by peaceful
means"
In Paris, EvariSte Kimba,
Katangan foreign minister, to-
day denied that Mr.. Tshombe
had signed the Kitona declara-
ton. He said the Katanga
parliament would meet Janu-
ary 3 to act on te dclara-
tion and "the counter proposals
Mr.. Tshombe made to Mr.
Adoula."
After the Parliament has
acted, the government of Elisa
betville will decide what at
titude to take" Kimba said.
Mr.. Kimba conceded that
U. N. troops could maintain
control in Elisabethville, where
U. N. forces crushed Katangan
resistance in a two-week battle,
but said: ITO hold Katanga
under the yoke is anoter
thing. TIE fight would
continue in the brush, but
Katanga. I assure VOL will not
surrender"
U. S. Transports Flying
United States transport
planes also were to begin fly
ing Congolese troops of the
central governments army to
the big Kamina base in North
Katanga today for housekeep-
ing and guard duties for the
U. N. forces there. They are
part of about 100 Congolese
troops accented by the U. N.
for noncombat service.
United States officials in
Washington said the Congolese
troops, the first accepted for
u. N. servie, would free other
U. N. soldiers to police North
.ern Katanga, a sort of no
mans land where the dominant
Baluba tribe accepts the au-
thority of neithe Mr..
Tshombe's government in
Elisabethville or the central
government in Leopoldville.
At U. N. headquarters in
New York, the world body is
sued another charge that
Northern Rhodesia was assist
ing Katanga in its resistance
against U. N. forces. A SpokeS-
man said a witness reported
that a Katanga bombing plane
flew sorties against U. N. troops
earlier this month from a base
at Ndola, Northern Rhodesia.