STAFF NOTES: MIDDLE EAST AFRICA SOUTH ASIA

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
C
Document Page Count: 
8
Document Creation Date: 
December 9, 2016
Document Release Date: 
March 16, 1999
Sequence Number: 
5
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
January 8, 1975
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3.pdf496.29 KB
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~LAO~I ~s , S`~IMEASA' 75010 Middle East; Africa, youth TAs~r Approved For Release 2000/09/14 :CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Confidential No Fnrei~~n Di.r.rem ~~pf~f~ ~0~~~~ fiddle East A~~i~~ South Asia Confidential No. 0409/75 January 8, 1975 Approved For Release 2000/09/14 :CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Approved For Release 2000/09/14 :CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Warning Notice Sensitive Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions Classified by 005827 Exempt from general declassification schedule of E. 0. 11652, exemption category: ? 56 (11, (2), and (3) Automatically declassified on: Date Impossible to Determine Approved For Release 2000/09/14 :CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Approved For Release 2000/ CONI'IDEI~T 1~1A~00608R000400010005-3 MIDDLE EAST' -AFRICA -SOUTH ASIA This publication is prepared for regional specialists in the Washington com- munity by the Middle East -Africa Division, Office of Current Intelligence, with occasional contributions from other offices within the Directorate of Intelligence. Comments and queries are welcome. The; should be directed to the authors of the individual articles. Ethiopia: Eritrea Government Offers Concessions on 1 Angola: Talks Nationalists Prepare for Round-Table 3 January 8, 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Approved For Release 2000/09/14 :CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Approved For Release 2000/09~'~N~~~~.~~~~~0608R000400010005-3 Ethiopia Government Offees Concessions opt Eritrea The ruling military council is .ttempting to implement its recently announced de~:ision to pursue a peaceful solution to the insurgen~~y in Eritrea province. On January 5, the counc?L announced sub- stantial concessions to Eritrean tribal and religious notables. The local leaders, who :.pparently have been in contact with the insurgent:,;, had presented a list of demands to government re.?~~resentatives in Asmara last week. Despite the goy-ernment's conces- sions, some elements of the Erit~~_an Liberation Front have rebuffed the council's offe~.~ to negotiate a political settlement. In its announcement, the council said it had directed its forces in Eritrea to relax secur~.ty measures and to exercise maximum restraint in carry- ing out their duties. The provincial leaders had demanded that the government confine troops to their barracks and stop ail military operations in the province. The council also agreed ~:c review the cases of all Eritrean political prison~:r.s and held out the prospect of granting them amn...~ty or reducing their sentences; the council excluci.~.d prisoners charged with murder or other serious criminal offenses. The local leaders had asked for ne release of all Eritrean political prisoners. In response to a demand by the notables that Eritrean students be excluded from the government's nationwide rural development program, the council said it would make "special arrangements" for Eritrea. The council also met an Eritrean demand that it publicize the meetings in Asmara. Previously, the government-controlled media had not reported the sessions. The council sent Information Minister Mikael Imru to Asmara to convey personally to tha kcal leaders its reply to their demands. In its statement, (Continued) .Tan 8, 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP86T00608R00 CONFIDENTIAL the council said the local leaders were authorized to contact "Eritrean insurgents" and to convey to them the need for a peaceful solution to the conflict. This was the first time an Ethiopian governmen~ has referred to Front members as insurgents; previously they had been labeled "bandits." Last week, before making these concessions, the council had agreed to hold direct negotiations with the rebels, meeting a key demand of the local leaders. The provincial notables, in return, agreed to urge the insurgents to accept a cease-fire. Local leaders are alleged to have already begun talks with insurgent leaders on a possible truce and direct negotiations between them and the council. According to initial press reports, exiled leaders of one of the Front's two major factions issued a statement in Cairo on January 6 refusing to negotiate with the council except to arrange for the withdrawal of army troops from the province. Leaders of this group reiterated their demand for complete independence for Eritrea and said thei~_ group was ready t~ increase combat operations. This group does nit speak for the entire front, and the insur~ gents who reportedly have been holding talks with the local Eritrean leaders may not have approved the Cairo statement. (CONFIDENTIAL) 25X1A Jan 8, 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Approved For Release 2000/O~I~,~~I~~~,~T~00608R000400010005-3 Angola Nationalists Prepare for Round-Table Talks The leaders of Angola's three rival liberation groups and Portuguese officials are to meet this weekend in Portugal to discuss formation of a transi- tional government that Lisbon hopes wil_1 lead A:zgola to independence this year. The nationalist leaders now appear willing to set aside, if only for the time being, their longstanding personal and political differences in order to revive the flagging de- colonization effort in the territory. Following two days of talks last weekend in Mombasa, Kenya, the three leaders-?-Holden Roberto of the National Front for the Liberation of Angola, Agostinho Neto of the Popular Movement for the Libera- tion of Angola, and Jonas Savimbi of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola--issued a joint communique in which they pledged to work together for an independent, democratic, and multi- racial Angola. In a separate agreement, the two most important nationalist chiefs, Roberto and Neto, who have been archrivals for more than a decade, promised to end all hostile political and military actions against each other. During the years of insurgency in Angola armed clashes occurred between the two groups, and since the coup in Lisbon last year the two leaders, sup- ported by rival ~~oreigrl patrons, have waged an .n- cessant propag~~;ida battle against each other. For the past year or so, Roberto has assisted a faction within Neto's organization that has ul~uccessfully sought to oust Neto from leadership of the Popular Movement. The Mombasa communique gave no details on how the three leaders are likely to deal with a number of difficult issues that seem sure to provoke hard bargaining at the roundtable session with the Portuguese. In the short time devoted to the talks they could hardly have concerted their positions on (Continued) ~7an 3 , 19 7 5 CONFIDEI~?TTIAL Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3 CONFIDENTIAL such i;~~tters as ground rules for political activity and :na~~ their groups will share military and security resp~~nsibilities during a transitional period. Nor, in all probability, did they give much thought to the future of F.ngola's 500,000 fearful whites--a primary concern of Lisbon. The nationalists common. basic position is that the territory's whites should cease considering themselves a separate power bloc and should join one of the three liberation groups. The Mombasa agreement did suggest, however, that the rival leaders may at last be ready to enter a transitional government, a development the Portuguese have been trying to bring off for some time. Until now, each of the three nationalists has refused to share power with the others in the hope that he could maneuver himself into a dominant position at the out- set of a transitional government. Such a position, each reasoned, would go a long way toward securing his political supremacy upon independence. Despite the modest step forward represented by the Mombasa accord, cooperation among the rebel leaders could be short lived. The personal ambitions and conflicting political ideologies of Roberto and Neto, and the deeply-rooted ethnic antagonism between the groups they lead--representing two of Angola's largest and most powerful triba] communities--are likely to impose severe strains on a transitional government. How serious the= rebel leaders are about avoiding these strains shau~.'. become more evident during their forthcoming negc;ciations with the Portuguese. (CONFIDENTIAL) 25X1A Jan 8, 1975 4 CONFIDENTIAL Approved For Release 2000/09/14: CIA-RDP86T00608R000400010005-3