UN Security Council urges action on Angola

The UN Security Council has called on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to finalise arrangements with the Angolan government to open a new UN Office in Angola (UNOA) as soon as possible. In a statement released by ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of Britain, which currently holds the Security Council's rotating presidency, it also called on all parties in the conflict, especially the UNITA rebel movement, to ensure the safety and security of all UN personnel in Angola. Following the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers at the behest of the government, the Security Council voted on 15 October to restore a UN political presence in the form of the new UNOA mission. Greentstock also called on the UNITA rebel movement to comply "immediately and without conditions" with the UN-brokered Lusaka Protocol peace accord of 1994. "Members of the council reaffirmed their belief that lasting peace and national reconciliation in Angola can only be achieved through political dialogue, with all those genuinely interested in peace and stability," he said. The council also expressed its "deep concern at the dire humanitarian situation" in Angola and called on the protagonists to ensure humanitarian access and compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law. It also reiterated its view that UNITA was to blame for the current impasse in Angola.