SA told not to "meddle"

Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has accused South Africa of "meddling" in the internal affairs of Angola,
the official Angola news agency 'Angop' reported on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists after a one-day meeting with his ally, President Sam Nujoma of Namibia, Dos Santos was quoted saying: "It seems to me that it would be sensible for South African leaders to worry about their domestic problems, and leave Angola in peace."

In reaction to recent calls from the South African government for the Angolan government and the UNITA rebel movement to find a negotiated settlement, Dos Santos said that the South African government should concern itself with its own problems. "The South African government has plenty of problems to solve, such as crime, extreme poverty and insecurity in the ghettos."

Last week, South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said that Angola's warring parties had to "face the unpleasant reality that there would be no military solution to the conflict", and that "negotiations had to begin". She said that a negotiated settlement had become more urgent because other countries in the region were being dragged into the conflict.
"No matter who may win the war there will be no lasting peace, so we have to get the parties to talk," Dlamini-Zuma said.

Meanwhile, Nujoma said on Monday after his meeting with Dos Santos that Namibia would continue to support Angola. "The Republic of Namibia would like to reaffirm its position to fully support the Angolan government in its efforts against UNITA bandits in order to restore peace in Angola," Nujoma told journalists at Luanda airport. "The eradication of the UNITA bandits is purely the responsibility of the Angolan armed forces," he added.

Dos Santos told journalists Namibia and Angola would cooperate in all fields, including the military sector "so as to stabilise the situation along the border". In December, Namibia granted Angolan forces the right to use its territory for operations against UNITA.