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Jonas Savimbi, the leader of UNITA, Angola's rebel movement, has said he is ready to talk peace with the government of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, BBC reported on Wednesday.
"We are ready to talk at any time when President Dos Santos wants to talk," Savimbi reportedly said, adding that it was not possible to resolve the country's civil war militarily.
Savimbi's remarks follow criticism by Tanzania's president Benjamin Mkapa who branded the rebel leader a war criminal worse than Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia and urged the use of force against UNITA, the BBC report said. The Angolan government has also branded Savimbi a war criminal and last month it issued a warrant for the rebel leader's arrest.
Savimbi further said fighting would not resolve the dispute between his UNITA movement and the Angolan government, the report added. "The conflict here is very complex, but through negotiations we can find a solution," Savimbi reportedly said.
UNITA's offer to talk comes as heavy fighting was reported in the Uige province between government forces and Savimbi's rebels.
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