America blocks rebuke to S.A.

Press, 2 September 1981, Page 8

America blocks rebuke to S.A.

NZPA-Reuter.A New York The United States yesterday broke -ranks with its A'estern Allies and vetoed a Security Council Resolution condemning South Africa for its incursion into Angola and demanding the withdrawal of its troops.. France was one of ll? Council members voting for the resolution, which also called for payment of compensation to Angola by South Africa and the dispatch of an investigation commission for an on-the-spot survey. Only the United States voted against, while Britain cast the lone absention in the 15-nation Council. The United Nations resolution. sponsored by the Security Council s six Third World members — Mexico. Niger. Panama. Philippines, Tunisia and Uganda — had originally included a provision imposing mandatory sanctions against South Africa.

But th'", was removed during back-stage talks, averting the likelihood of a tirple veto by the United States. Britain and France. The amended text still contained some provisions that Britain said it could not support.

The Council vote was the climax to a debate begun on Saturday to hear Angola’s allegations of aggression by South African troops based in Namibia, which the United Nations says is illegally occupied by South Africa. After the vote the Angolan representative warned the Council that his country might have to invoke Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, providing for indivi-

dual or collective self-de-fence until the Council could act. The Angolan President (Mr Jose Eduardo dos Santos) referred to this provision in a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General (Dr, Kurt Waldheim) last week. But his United Nations envoy, Elisio de Figueiredo, declined to be specific when asked by reporters - if this might involve an appeal for outside military help —r possibly from Cuban troops already stationed in Angola. The United States representative, Charles Lichenstein. referred to these troops when he explained why he vetoed the resolution, he said there was little doubt that South Africa's resistance to granting self-determina-tion to the people of Namibia was a basis for the tension and instability in the region. But it was also clear that the presence of foreign combat forces in Angola, "particularly the large Cuban force, and the provision of arms to 5.W.A.P.0.. and the presence of Soviet military advisers." had fuelled the .explosive atmosphere. The Angolan news agency. Angop. reported yesterday that South African troops had occupied the whole of the southern province of Cunene except for the town of Cahama. Pretoria announced on Saturday that. its forces were withdrawing from Angola after completing a mission to destroy South-West Africa People's Organisation guerrilla bases. Angop said Cahama, about

150 km north of the Namibian (South-West African) border, was the present combat front. It reported that Government forces there had shot down a South African Mirage jet but did not say when. The Angolan Defence Minister (Mr Pedro Maria Tonha) was quoted by Angop as saying that a negotiated solution to the problem of Namibia “was out of _the question at the moment.” He told a press conference in the southern city of Lubango that the South African raid was aimed at destabilising the economy of progressive developing countries and sabotaging the independence of Namibia. In Pretoria, a military spokesman said that South African forces were continuing their withdrawal' from Angola and w-ere not fighting Angolan troops. He said the South Africans had completed their operation against S.W.A.P.O. guerrilla bases and installations in southern Angola. He denied Angolan reports that South African troops were occupying several towns in southern Angola. He said Angola was trying to create an impression that a big invasion force had entered Angola, to influence world opinion before the special United Nations session on Namibia begins on Thursday. A mission from the United Nations Disaster Relief Office had arrived in Angola to examine the plight of refugees and the- effects of drought in the provinces of the south, Angop said.