by Caiphas Chimhete
Steinburg was not purturbed by the delay and remain optimistic. He says “if it takes another month to ensure Unita is a full partner, it is a delay worth accepting.”
However, suspicion still exists between the Angolan government and Unita. Reports say more than 15 000 Unita soldiers have disappeared from the UN points further widening the mistrust gap. Unita is also allegedly refusing to hand over to the government some areas it controls in the diamond-rich areas of the north.
Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency (ZIANA) reports that the Angolan government suspects Unita could be buying new weapons, using money from diamond sales “particularly in the light of the disappearance of the more than 15 000 Unita soldiers from UN assembly points.”
However, regardless of these process hitches, Unita still insists that it is committed to restoration of peace in Angola. Unita secretary for external affairs. Alcides Sakala, says Unita`s commitments is “based on the realisation that we have to work together to achieve peace.”
Meanwhile, the Angolan peace mediators are running out of patience as Savimbi continues to play his elusive games, when hopes for peace are high. The UN Security Council, outraged by his delaying tactics, says it will not tolerate any further delays and has threatened Unita with “unspecified measures” if it does not agree to the inauguration of the GNU by next month.
Unita, together with Angolan government, should, as the Lusaka Protocol says, establish “forms cooperation geared towards the creation of a climate of trust so that all doubts and suspicions may be addressed with transparency and mutual respect.” (SARDC)
31 January 1997.
