Military

DATE= 10/30/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= ANGOLA/U-S/SAVIMBI (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-68619

BYLINE= ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE= WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: A senior U-S official is calling on Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi to abandon his guerrilla struggle and bring lasting peace to his resource-rich but war-torn country. V-O-A Correspondent Alex Belida reports on an interview with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Witney Schneidman.

TEXT: Mr. Schneidman acknowledges that UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi has been discredited by his failure to live up to the terms of Angola's 1994 peace agreement and his role in the perpetuation of the country's long and bloody civil war.

But in a V-O-A interview at his State Department office in Washington, Mr. Schneidman suggests there may still be a role for Mr. Savimbi to play in Angola - provided he first agrees that his UNITA rebels will lay down their weapons.

Mr. Schneidman says that is the only way forward if Angola is to enjoy peace.

/// SCHNEIDMAN ACTUALITY ///

Come out of the bush and join the process - join the process of economic reform, join the process of political reform, join the process of improving the lot of all people, join the process of having UNITA cadre get jobs, be able to invest in their futures, be able to look after the children with education and health care.

/// END ACTUALITY ///

Mr. Schneidman notes Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos has offered amnesty to the rebel leader if UNITA lays down its weapons.

He also notes Mr. Dos Santos has announced his intention to hold national elections, possibly next year.

But asked if Mr. Savimbi could stand as a candidate, Mr. Schneidman is equivocal.

/// SCHNEIDMAN ACTUALITY ///

That would be up to the Angolan people to decide.

/// END ACTUALITY ///

In a new communiqué, UNITA says there can be no elections unless there are negotiations to end the civil war.

But the senior State Department official says Mr. Savimbi should not hold out hope for fresh negotiations to revise the terms of Angola's 1994 United Nations-backed peace agreement, known as the Lusaka accord.

/// OPT SCHNEIDMAN ACTUALITY ///

You know, I don't think anybody wants to revive the peace process per se in terms of going to another round of negotiations where we invest a lot of diplomatic energy on something... that Savimbi won't honor in the final analysis. There's a clear path that's spelled out of what Savimbi needs to do, of where Angolan society should head, and I think there's complete agreement on that...

///END OPT ACTUALITY///

The peace process in Angola collapsed, and full-scale fighting resumed two years ago, after UNITA failed to implement provisions of the peace pact. The government ruled out any further negotiations with Mr. Savimbi, and launched a major offensive aimed at wiping out the rebel movement. But the rebels continue to wage a guerrilla struggle. In a telephone interview with V-O-A's Portuguese Service last week, a top UNITA official said government forces will never succeed in destroying the rebels.

/// REST OPTIONAL ///

U-S authorities have rejected Angolan government requests for assistance in helping locate the fugitive rebel leader, who has been forced from UNITA's traditional strongholds in the country's Central Highlands. In his V-O-A interview, Mr. Schneidman says the United States remains convinced there cannot be a military solution to the conflict.

Angola has been ravaged by fighting almost continuously since its independence from Portugal in 1975. Although rich in oil, diamonds and other resources, analysts say most of the profits have been spent on military hardware or diverted by corrupt officials. Most ordinary Angolans are mired in poverty. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/TDW