U.N. likely to put pressure on S.A. through Namibia

Press, 8 May 1978, Page 8

U.N. likely to put pressure on S.A. through Namibia

NZPA-Reuter New York.

South Africa is expected] to face fresh Western pres-: sure for an early withdrawal from Namibia (South West Africa) today as a result of its raid into Angola launched from the disputed territory. The five Western nations, which at the week-end joined the unanimous United Nations Security Council vote condemning the raid, have said Pretoria’s action underlined an urgent need for Namibian independence, as demanded by repeated United Nations resolutions. Talks on a Western plan for independence — a plan accepted by South Africa on April 25 — will be held with leaders of S.W.A.P.O. (th? South West Africa People’s Organisation) in New York today.

5.W.A.P.0., which is fighting a limited bush war against South African rule in Namibia, has said it wants changes in the plan. The plan’s authors — the United States, Britain, Canada, France, and West Germany — on Saturday voted with the Security Council’s other 10 members to condemn the “latest armed invasion perpetrated by the South African racist regime” against Angola.

. An estimated 300 to 700 ’ South African troops crossed I | into Angola from Namibia at I dawn on Thursday, aiming, i they said, to wipe out. S.W.A.P.O. guerrilla camps. The military said the ! troops withdrew after taking I S.W.A.P.O. headquarters at! Cassinga, 240 km inside Ang- i ola, and destroying vast amounts of arms. f The Angolan Ambassador i to the United Nations (Mr 1

Elisio de Figueiredo) charged in the Security Council, , however, that 504 Namibian ' refugees and 16 Angolan j . troops died in the attack and i that the South African claim i

to have withdrawn was a i lie. i The Security Council con- 1 demned Pretoria’s use of Na-; mibia as a springboard for i the attack, and demanded an i immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the invasion 1 force. i It also held out the threat i of punitive action under the i United Nations Charter’s enforcement provisions if . South Africa again violated i Angolan sovereignty. > The Council session, in 1 which South Africa took no part, praised Angola’s sup- i port for S.W.A.P.O. and re-1 peated its backing for the : “just and legitimate struggle i , of the people of Namibia.” i I During the debate, the i

Western members referred to the delicate stage their talks with S.W.A.P.O. had reached, and warned South Africa against fresh raids. Today’s meeting with S.W.A.P.O.’s president, Mr Sam Nujoma, and his colleagues will focus on several controversial points in the Western plan, which calls for United Nationssupervised elections before the end of the year. The Angolan raid is expected to lend renewed weight to S.W.A.P.O.’s demands that a residual force of 1500 South African troops left in Namibia during the transition period should be confined to the far south of the territory in Karasburg, and not, as in the Western plan, further north and nearer the Angolan frontier. S.W.A.P.O. will also press the Western Powers not to shelve a decision on the ownership of Namibia’s strategic deep-water port of Walvis Bay, as they plan to do. South Africa controls it under a separate treaty, and wants to keep it after Namibia gains independence. The five Powers, in responding to S.W.A.P.O.’s demands, will be wary of agreeing to big changes in the, proposals that could prompt Pretoria to change its mind and reject the plan.