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UNITA urged to join peace talks

[Angola] IDP children, Huambo IRIN
Angola edges closer to peace, but the humanitarian situation remains grave
    JOHANNESBURG

    The UN Security Council has urged the Angolan rebel movement UNITA to seize the opportunity and join the government in peace talks to end three decades of civil war. It also said it was ready to consider lifting travel sanctions for senior UNITA officials, the UN news service reported.

    Applauding a recent declaration by the government on its willingness to resume the peace process, the Security Council on Thursday called on UNITA "to recognise the historic nature of this opportunity to end the conflict with dignity, to give a clear, positive response to the government's offer of peace, to implement fully the Lusaka Protocol and to re-enter political life."

    In a statement the Council said it stood ready to "consider appropriate and specific exemptions" to resolution 1127, which has banned travel by all senior UNITA officials and adult members of their immediate families.

    The statement also underlined that "the legitimacy of the peace process depended on a genuine role for, and full participation of, political parties and civil society without interference, as well as flexibility in approaching questions of national reconciliation".

    The Council said it looked forward to discussions between the UN's Adviser for Special Assignments in Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, and the Angolan government to clarify the UN's role in a peace settlement. Gambari is expected to arrive in Luanda on Sunday for talks with the government.

    The statement called on Luanda to ensure the transparency and credibility of the peace process. It emphasised the active role that the UN was expected to play in the implementation of the 1994 powersharing Lusaka Protocol, and noted the need to renew - and possibly redefine - by 15 April, the mandate of the UN Office in Angola (UNOA).

    Expressing concern about the "grave humanitarian situation", especially for internally displaced persons, the Council called on the government to accelerate "full and immediate access" to all those in need of assistance.

    In its latest situation report this week, the World Food Programme described the security situation as "relatively stable in most provinces".

    For the full text of the UN Security Council document:
    http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/SC7343.doc.htm

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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