[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E460-E461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       ANGOLA NEEDS WORLD'S HELP

                                 ______


                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 1995
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I read with great interest the 
following article on Angola. So that all of my colleagues will have the 
opportunity to see this important piece. I would like to insert it into 
the Congressional Record.
          [From the Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 25, 1995]

         Angola Needs the World's Help in Making Peace Truimph

                      (By Jose Eduardo dos Santos)

       It was with great satisfaction that I read the recent 
     bipartisan congressional letter to President Clinton 
     declaring that ``the United States has a strong national 
     interest in a stable peace agreement in Angola.'' I share the 
     view in Congress that the Lusaka Accords are the ``last, best 
     hope for peace in Angola.''
       The letter accurately notes that the treaty also offers a 
     promise of stability and prosperity in our region along with 
     opportunities to expand US exports to Angola.
       I have called on all Angolans to make a pact in the defense 
     of peace and absolute respect for national reconciliation so 
     that we may reconstruct our war-ravaged country and vivify 
     the soul of our people. It is a gigantic task, but I am 
     confident we can show that we are equal to it, and are 
     capable of making peace triumph.


                   Proxy battles of the cold war over

       But we cannot achieve this difficult goal alone. 
     Generations have been born and have grown up knowing nothing 
     but conflict, first with colonial rulers and then among 
     ourselves. If peace is to set down roots, it will need the 
     nurturing of the international community, led by the U.S.
       The cold-war superpowers who once used our differences in 
     their proxy battles are now trying to forget their old 
     differences. But they must not forget old obligations. We 
     look to them now as partners. We were once a wealthy country 
     and we can make ourselves one again--but not overnight, or 
     alone.
       Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has said, ``It is 
     imperative that immediate action now be taken to implement 
     the comprehensive agreement signed in Lusaka.'' Mr. Clinton 
     gave me his written assurance, ``Once a peace agreement in 
     reached, the United States government will be prepared to do 
     all it can within the United Nations and bilaterally to 
     ensure its successful implementation.'' Many of our friends, 
     both old and new, implored us to take unpopular risks in the 
     negotiations with the National Union for the Total 
     Independence of Angola (UNITA). In response to their urgings, 
     we went that extra mile. We have done that and now we turn to 
     them to help us make that peace a success.
       The Security Council's decision to deploy a contingent of 
     about 500 cease-fire observers is welcome, but we need prompt 
     dispatching of at least 7,000 peacekeepers to ensure that all 
     provisions of the agreement are adhered to. The UN and the 
     international community cannot skimp on this vital aspect of 
     the peace process. We want our former enemies to know from 
     these credible sources that we are sincere in word as well as 
     deed, and I am sure they feel the same way. Peacekeepers will 
     help instill confidence among past foes.
       To repeat 1992's tragic mistake of trying to ``make peace 
     on the cheap'' would doom our nation and all of southern 
     Africa to more war and bloodshed. The cost of providing 
     peacekeepers and launching national reconciliation is only a 
     fraction of the cost of making war and caring for the 
     victims.
       The national healing process must begin with caring for the 
     hurt, the hungry, and the homeless. We urgently need portable 
     hospital facilities that can rapidly be dispatched to the 
     hard-hit areas like the devastated cities of Cuito, Huambo, 
     Uige, and Melange.


                        the need to clear mines

       The fighting is over, but we urgently need help to clear 
     millions of antipersonnel mines strewn throughout our nation, 
     so that our farmers may till our fertile fields, our children 
     may attend school and play safely outdoors, and all our 
     citizens can travel in peace to and from their jobs and 
     homes.
       Before the war, we were known as a country with abundant 
     mineral and agricultural resources. We were self-sufficient 
     in most foodstuffs. Our exports ranged from crude oil and 
     uncut diamonds to coffee and tobacco textiles and shoes.
       [[Page E461]] Now we must repair and rebuild as we heal our 
     wounds and our wounded. We need technical assistance to 
     rebuild our infrastructure, we need international 
     peacekeepers to enforce our cease-fire, we need foreign 
     investment to restore our industrial base, we need equipment 
     and expertise to clear away the deadly debris of war. We also 
     need loans and credits to stimulate our economy, as well as 
     debt relief and restructuring.


                       savimbi invited for talks

       We have launched our democracy. Our elected National 
     Assembly is at work and soon we will hold the final round of 
     our presidential elections. Meanwhile, our former foes will 
     be joining us in governing the nation by assuming positions 
     of major responsibility. They will be Cabinet ministers, 
     provincial governors, mayors, ambassadors and much more. The 
     two former enemy armies will join together in a national 
     defense force as most former combatants are demobilized.
       I have invited UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi to meet with me 
     at any time and any place in Angola so we may show our people 
     we are fully engaged together in national reconciliation and 
     reconstruction.
       A new page is being turned in Angola's history. It presents 
     new challenges for Angolan political leaders, government 
     officials, and ordinary citizens as we try to reconstruct a 
     third time form the rubble and ruins of the tragedy that 
     devastated Angola. We call upon the United States and the 
     international community to join us in our historic task of 
     making peace work not just for ourselves but for a continent 
     that is struggling hard to spread the blessings of peace and 
     democracy to all its citizens.
     

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