Government stresses humanitarian role for new UN mission

The Angolan government has rejected a political role for a new 30-member UN mission, effectively barring it from involvement in negotiations to end the country’s civil war or in any future peacekeeping mission, diplomatic sources told IRIN. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last month, a copy of which has been received by IRIN, Angolan Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo de Miranda wrote that a UN presence in Angola could only be effective “if its activity is restricted to the area of humanitarian assistance” and the strengthening of the government’s human rights capacity. In this context, “the mandate of the United Nations Office in Angola (UNOA) should be to serve as liaison between the Angolan government and the Secretary-General,” the letter said. This would represent “the spirit” of UN resolutions. The government also rejected the proposed installation of a public information broadcasting station in Luanda by UNOA. UN Security Council Resolution 1268, establishing UNOA, authorised the office to run for an initial six month period until 15 April 2000. The 30-strong staff, reportedly yet to receive visas, would include political and military officers. According to the 15 October resolution, among their tasks would be the exploration of “effective measures for restoring peace” in Angola. “You have to see the Angolan response in the context of the perceived failure of MONUA (the UN’s last peacekeeping mission to Angola),” a diplomatic source told IRIN. “They think the Office may be converted into a mainly military presence which they strongly object to.” According to the source, Luanda also felt aggrieved that Resolution 1268 was passed before discussions on the Status Of Mission Agreement were concluded, contrary to normal practice. In response, “they are backpeddling like crazy,” one New York-based Angola watcher noted. “They had already agreed to political functions, but now they are coming back saying they are dealing mainly with humanitarian issues.”