OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 8.00PM.
UNITED Nations secretary general Kofi Annan has warned that the UN will pull out of Angola if the government and Unita don’t stop fighting.
Annan called for the UN brokered 1994 peace accords to be implemented immediately. He recommended the Security Council conduct a full-scale review of the situation by the end of November, to assess the presence in Angola of the UN Military Observers (Monua).
“If at the time of the November review, it appears there has been no substantial progress towards full compliance by the parties with their respective obligations … the reduction of Monua would be accelerated with a view to closing it down by early February 1999,” Annan said in a report to the council.
If decisive progress was made, the UN force would be allowed to continue its mandate, and may be given additional resources if required, he said. He recommended the force’s mandate be extended to January 31, meanwhile.
The situation in the country had deteriorated sharply, Annan said, adding that both parties “seem to be preparing themselves for a confrontation”.
The government’s decision last week to break contact with Savimbi “raised doubts about the prospects for national reconciliation, without which there can be no lasting peace,” Annan said, adding that the involvement of Angolan forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo has further complicated the situation.