27 July -- The sanctions imposed by the international community on Angola's rebel army are working, the United Nations Security Council heard today as it met for a day-long debate on the situation in that war-torn country.
Introducing Secretary-General Kofi Annan's latest report on Angola, Mr. Annan's Adviser for Special Assignments in Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, said that the Council-mandated sanctions against the Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA) were "producing the desired results."
"The reports coming from Angola on sanctions are [...] that they are limiting the possibilities of UNITA to procure weapons, thus making it difficult for the movement to re-arm and re-supply its forces," Mr. Gambari said at the start of the debate in which representatives of more than 20 countries took part. He added that sanctions had thus been an important instrument of pressure to force UNITA to commit itself to peace.
According to Mr. Gambari, if peace were given a chance in Angola, the country's endowment in mineral and human resources would provide it with a great potential to eradicate poverty in a relatively short period and promote the well-being of all its citizens. "It is possible to make Angola a prosperous country again if there is the political will to take concrete actions to bring this about," he said.
Mr. Gambari underscored the need for increased efforts in political, social and economic spheres and for a spirit of reconciliation to be adopted by all Angolans. The proposal by President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos to pardon all members of UNITA, including Jonas Savimbi, if they decided to lay down their arms and commit themselves to peace was a "welcome development," he said.
Echoing the Secretary-General's assessment of the continuing fighting in Angola as "deeply disturbing," Mr. Gambari reiterated that it was UNITA's failure to live up to peace agreements - in particular, its failure to demilitarize and to allow the state administration to be extended throughout the country -- that precipitated the resumption of war.
He also drew attention to the plight of the estimated 2.5 million Angolans - or one fifth of the country's total population - who had been displaced internally by the conflict. While the primary responsibility for addressing the needs of the internally displaced lay with the Government, the international community had a critical supporting role, Mr. Gambari said.
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