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OAU ANGOLA
The badly divided summit meeting on Angola of the Organization of African Unity, which opened Saturday in Addii Ababa, enters its third and possibly decisive session today. After the brief opening session adjourned on Saturday, most representatives held private discussions and strategy sessions. The meeting yesterday, held in closed session, was stormy at times and apparently ended in deadlock.
Seventeen of the OAU'sead* of state were on hand when the summit opened under the chairmanship of Uganda's President Amin. At Amin's request. Holden Roberto and Jonas Savimbi, the leaders of the National Front for the Liberation of Angola and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, were seated as observers at the opening session. Neither was allowed to attend the closed session.
Agostinho Neto. head of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, declined to attend. He is represented by the "foreign minister" of his Luanda-basedigh-level Cuban delegation is also present and is lobbying in support of
the Popular Movement.
Saturday's opening session quickly pointed up the sharp division among the delegates, who are apparently split almost evenly between those who seek OAU recognition o* the Popular Movement as the sols legitimate government of Angola and those who are opposed to recognition of either rival Angolan regime and want to resolve the conflict by gaining agreementovernment of national unity.
The first speaker, Mozambique's President Machel. denounced South Africa's intervention in Angola. He charged that tho National Front and National Union no longer deserve OAU support because of their collaboration with Pretoria and called for OAU endorsement of the Popular Movement in its struggle against South Africa.
trong rejoinder. Sengalese President Senghor declared that, to be honest, those who condemn South Africa should also condemn the USSR and Cuba for their involvement in Angola. Senghor appealedompromise solution that would allow the Angolan people to decide for themselvesovernment rather than having one imposed on them in violation of the OAU charter.
The key issue at yesterday's closed session was the question of whether to abandon the OAU's present neutral stance toward the three warring Angolan notionalist groups and officially back the Popular Movement as Angola's government. The Popular Movementormal request to the OAU secretariat to recognize the Neto regime and to admit Angola as an OAU member.
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APPROVED for release
In an of fori to block action on this proposal, the National Front and National Unionimilar request, seeking recognition of Their own side. They acted on the advice of the Zairian ambassador to Ethiopia, who claims that, under the OAU charter, when two requests for tha admission ofsingle territory are made by opposing groups, both must be rejected out of hand. The Popular Movement's supporters,ifferent interpretation of the OAU charter, apparently are seeking to have the matter of admission consideredrocedural question that can be decidedimple majority vote, ratherubstantive questionwo-thirds vote,
OAU members in favorovernment of national unity yesterdayompromise draft resolution designed to postpone entirely the volatile question of recognition. The proposal reportedly would:
South African intervention in Angola.
-Condemn all other foreign involvement in Angola without mentioning by name Cuba or the USSR.
--Demand the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from Angola.
-Call for the rival Angolan factions to cease fightingate to be agreed on by the OAU summit and remain in placeease-fire goes into effect.
the Angolan nationalist leaden to reach an agreement, under OAU supervision and in an African city of their choice, to create the conditions for national reconciliation and toovernment of national unity.
-Call for the formationemporary committee of OAU heads ot state to implement the resolution with the aid of the OAU defense commission.
m I
ovement's backers-led by
Algeria, and burundi-as uncompromising and determined to press forof the Neto regime by tying the issueesolution condemning
Africa. According to Radio Luanda, the Popular Movement will reject any cease-fire proposal by the OAU in the absence of prior recognition of the Popular Movement.
A resolution favoring the Popular Movement has been sponsored by Nigeria and is backed byAU states. It reportedly calls for:
-Recognition of the Popular Movement and its concurrent admission to
membership in the OAU.
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-Condemnation of South African involvement in Angola.
commiting the Popular Movement tooalition government for Angola, providing it is recognized and admitted to the OAU.
Zairian Foreign Minister Bula Is said to believe that the anti-Movement group is solid enough to block this proposal. (SECRF
Original document.
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