Angola To Leave Kabila's Congo -US Official
KINSHASA (Reuters) - A U.S. official in Kinshasa said Monday that Angola had agreed to pull its troops out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, contradicting reports of a planned allied offensive against rebels.
''There will be a slow withdrawal but everyone's trying not to make a lot of noise about it,'' said the official, who asked not to be named.
It was not possible immediately to get confirmation from the Angolans who were reported earlier as preparing to increase their troops supporting President Laurent Kabila against rebels.
The reported agreement followed a visit last week to Angola by a U.S. team, headed by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Susan Rice, seeking to end the three-month-old war in the former Zaire.
Earlier media reports said Luanda had rebuffed the U.S. request to pull out its forces.
Rice later visited Kinshasa and had five hours of talks with Kabila Saturday which she termed as ''fruitful.''
A Congolese presidential aide, who was asked about a possible Angolan pullout, told Reuters Monday: ''It's possible there was a deal,'' while Information Minister Didier Mumenge said: ''I have not received that information.''
Earlier Monday, after a weekend meeting between Kabila and his allies, Zimbabwe and Namibia, which was not attended by Angolan President Eduardo Dos Santos, Congolese communications advisor Dominique Sakombi said: ''They (the Angolans) are going to increase the number of troops and military hardware. ''
A senior Congolese military spokesman, asked about Angola's stand now, declined to answer, saying only: ''Wait and see what happens.''
''The primary concern of Angola is (former rebel movement) UNITA. You could say it is a political retreat as UNITA is suddenly becoming more of a threat at home,'' said one Western diplomat.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said after the allies' meeting at Kabila's southeastern base at Lubumbashi that Angola remained committed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's war against the rebels.
And Mumenge said earlier Monday: ''We are going to carry the war to the east. Angola is here, and they have said so clearly.''
Rice left Kinshasa Sunday and embassy officials said she had gone to Rwanda, which denies Kinshasa's accusations that it has troops fighting alongside the rebels.
Congolese officials said Monday there were no Angolan movements in eastern Congo although the other allies were attacking the eastern border town of Kalemie and had sunk a rebel supply boat using helicopters at the weekend.
There was no independent confirmation of the report.
Rice, in a report of her visit to Luanda made available at the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa, said that renewed hostilities in Angola were a cause for U.S. concern.
''The renewal of hostilities in Luanda Norte, in Uige and elsewhere is a serious preoccupation for the United States and the rest of the international community.''
She pointed the finger at UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi as the main culprit.
''Mr Savimbi and UNITA are the main obstacles to the peace process and a movement toward a general war.''
A Western diplomat in Kinshasa commented: ''It is U.S. policy to stop that war.''
He added that UNITA had been operating from bases in Kabila's Congo which Angola had been keen to mop up when the ethnic Tutsi rebels started the war in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on August 2.
Angolan troops have been operating mainly in southern Kasai, south of Kinshasa and west of the giant Inga hydrolectric power dam once held by rebels, but not the main eastern front.
''They have been withdrawing from Inga over the past week,'' said another western diplomat. |
