Signs of a thaw between Lome and Luanda

Angolan Agriculture Minister Gilberto Buta Lutucuta said on Thursday that his government wanted to “maintain and consolidate its cooperation links with all African countries, Togo in particular,” an online information service, ‘Republic of Togo’, reported. Speaking after a meeting with Togo’s president, Gnassingbe Eyadema, Lutucuta said that while there had been “small misunderstandings until recently” between the two governments, efforts were being made to iron them out. “We think we are on the right track,” he said. A UN report issued in March 2000 accused a number of African countries, including Togo, of illegally selling arms for diamonds to the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola. This led Angola to boycott the 36th summit of the Organisation of African Unity, held in Lome in July 2000, although Togo’s government denied the charge and said it had set up a commission to look into it. Lutucuta said his delegation was in Togo to discuss the creation of a common market for basic food products between the two countries.