(ESTIMATED PUB DATE) (TITLE DELETED) ANGOLA - CHINA: RE ANGOLAN DELEGATION VIS

Created: 1/1/1975

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

MCi

uwrrs

JXTl

Approved for -Rslaese-,

OUTGOING MESSAGE

3

i-

0 HW-n .

. :,

CURRENTLY VISITING PEKING. THE DELEGATION IS LED BY LUCIO LARA,

DEPUTY TO flPLA PRESIDENT AGOSTINHO NETO. LARA PROdABLY UILL

ATTEMPT TO CONVINCE THE CHINESE TO REDUCE OR CEASE THEIR SUPPORT

TO ;THE NATIONAL FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF ANGOLA, THE POPULAR

MOVEMENT'S MAJOR RIVAL, AND PERHAPS UILL EVEN SEEK TO OBTAIN SOME

CHINESE AID FOR NETO'S

PEKING HAS PROVIDED THE FRONT UITH MODEST AMOUNTS'OF ARMS.

AND AnnUNITION AND HAS ASSIGNEDILITARY ADVISERS TO THE :

FRONT'S TRAINING CAMPS IN THE REPUBLIC OF ZAIRE- PEKING'S DECISION

TO RECEIVE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE POPULAR MOVEMENT, MAY BE IH PART

RECOGNITION OF*'THAT*GROUP'S GROWING POLITICAL STRENGTH IN RECENT

months.v;

'^TMeT INVITATION TO THE POPULAR MOVEMENT ALSO APPEARS TOARTARGER EFFORT BY THE CHINESE TOEIGREE OFlit ALL THREE ANGOLAN NATIONALIST GROUPS- ONTHELEGATION REPRESENTI9NG THE NATIONAL UNION FOR THE TOTAL INDEPENDENCE OF ANGOLA, THE SMALLEST OF THE THREE NATIONALIST

ISITED CHINA AND UASMALL AMOUNT OF

o**Gi

, :

'^SPUTGOING MESSAGE j

1

-l

.1 f

. . -1 t

fill

MILITARY AID. PEKING HAI PROVIDED MODEST FUNDS TO THISOR AT LEAST THE PAST YEAR. THE CHINESE PROBABLY BILL CONTINUE TO CHANNEL THE BULK OF THEIR MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO THE NATIONAL FRONT.V.

CHINA'S MOVE TO BROADEN ITHS INFLUENCE AMONG THE RIVAL ANGOLAN GROUPS HAY STEM FROM CONCERNOSSIBLE RIFT BETHEEN ZAIRIAN PRESIDENT MOBUTU AND THE NATIONAL FRONT OVER THE FUTURE OF, OIL-RICH CBABINDA. WHILE ALL THE ANGOLANS ASSERT THAT THE EXCLAVE IS PART OF THEIR COUNTRY* MOBUTU HAS YET TO RECOGNIZE THIS CLAIM. PEKING HAY FEAR THE DISPUTE MAY i' EVENTUALLY CAUSE MOBUTU TO WITHDRAW HIS.SUPPORT FROH THE NATIONALEVELOPMENT THAT WOULD BWEAKEN THE FRONT IN ITS STRUGGLE WITH THE POPULAR MOVEMENT AND THE NATIONAL UNION- IN ANYONTACT WITH THE POPULAR MOVEMENT AND NATIONAL UNION AT THIS POINT CAN ONLY HELP ENSURE THAT PEKING WILL BE WELL-POSITIONED WHEN ANGOLA GAINS ITS INDEPENDENCE INIF THIS MEANS IRRITATI0N6 MOBUTU BY DEALING WITH THE PaOPULAR MOVEMENT.. MOBUTU HAS LONG BEEN AT ODDS WITH THE POPULAR MOVEMENT.V*

'.*

*KTi .

v OUTGOING MESSAGE

'mm

a --

...

0

IN COMING MONTHS, THE CHINESE UILL SEEK TO KEEP THEIR

in .

# :

WITH MOBUTU AND THE ANGOLANSENERALLY EVEN KEEL- '. THIS MEANS SCRUPULOUSLY AVOIDING ENTANGLEMENT IN THE CAOINDA DISPUTE. LATE LAST YEAR UHEN MOBUTU VISITED PEKING, HE ATTEMPTED TO INVOLVE THE CHINESE BY REQUESTING MILITARY INSTRUCTORS FOR CABINDANS LIVING IN ZAIRE* PEKING NOT ONLY TURNED DOWN THE REQUEST, BUT REFUSED TO SEND GUERRILLA WARFARE INSTRUCTORS FOR ZAIRE'S REGULAR FORCES FOR FLAK THAT MOBUTU INTENDED TO PUT CABINDANS THROUGH THE COURSE. THE CHINESE* HOWEVER, GAVEUBSTANTIAL QUANTITY OF MILITARY CflUIPMENT, INCLUDING TANKS-V

/AT THE SAME TIME, CHINA WILL PROBABLY WANT TO KEEP ITS PROFILE WITH THE ANGOLAN NATIONALIST GROUPS RELATIVELY LOU. ROBERTO, FOR HIS PART, PROBABLY DOES NOT b'ANT TO BECOME IDENTIFIED TOO CLOSELY WITH ANOTHER FOREIGN POWER, THE ZAIRIAN LA8EL TAGGED ON HIM BY HIS OPPONENTS HASONSIDERABLE POLITICAL LIABILITY.

*

MMi

IXTt

Original document.

---

---