CUBA PROMOTES ANGOLA-ZAIRE PEACE; CARTER DENIES BACK-DOOR ARMS PLAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100140010-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 20, 2007
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: June 27, 1978
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/06/20 :CIA-RDP99-004988000100140010-8
ARTICLE APPEARED
O:i PAGE A-4
THE WASHINGTOiV STAR (GREEii L~
27 June 1978
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_ Bp Henry S. Bradsher _ .: _ ,
Washiagtoa Star Stott V/ritet ~I
Cuba has expressed a policy parallel to the U.S.
effort to establish normal relations between Zaire
and Angola. while President Carter disavows any ''
intention of. arming rebels in Angola.
Cuban Foreign ,tiiinister Isidoro Maimierca said ~
yesterday that his country opposed the recent
t~atangan invasion. of Zaire's Shaba province. Car-
ter has accused Cuba of supporting the invasion.
;4ialmierca said at a news conference in Algiers
Lhat the invasion did not promote African unity
and was injurious to Angola. He said Angola needs ~
peace and stability to recover from the wounds of '
waz and to develop its economy. -
At a news conference here later yesterday, Car-
ter said he had never had any intention of sending ,
arms directly or indirectly to rebels fighting the
Angolan government.,. -
Carter denied any knowledge of an approach
that CIA Director Stansiield Turner made to Sen.
Dick Clark, D- owe.. to exp ore a possio, ty of
2rmzng ~-an refle s.
AFTER THE- SHABA invasion. Turner dis- i
cussed whether arms could be supplied legally to
the rebels as a way of distracting Angola from sup-
porting the invasion. Clark told him that a 1935
amendment which the senator sponsored would
Carter said the administration never had any j
plan "to send backdoor weapons" to Angolan
rebels. -
Last week the administration sent its deputy ~
ambassador to the United .Nations, Donald ~
McHenry, to the caQital of Angola for talks on ~
stabilizing relations oetween it and Zaire, which i
has been a channel for arms supplies to the rebels.
Senior officials_.said itwas~ecessazv to_stop both_y
cations from interfering in each other's affairs iff
progress was to be achieved in the region. J
McHenry was en route back to the L`nited Statesi
as Carter spoke to the press. Because of lack of
communications. he bad not reported directly
from Angola on the results of his talks. - ?
But Malmierca's statement indicated that Cuba,
was urging Angola to support an international ar-j
rangement to quiet down its Zaire border. _
i41UCR OF CARTER'S news cotuertnce was dey
voted to foreign affairs. ~ i
He said last week's Israeli answer to questions
about the future of occupied Arab lands "was very
disappointing." This was the strongest official
statement so far about Israel's reiusaI to make
any commitment on relinquishing its military con-
trol of the Mest .Bank and the Gaza Strip alter a
five-yeaz period of local self-rule that it has p
posed.
Carter also commented negatively on the Israeli
Cabinet's rejection Sunday of a still-incomplete`
Egyptian counterproposal. Ii calls for an Israeli)
withdrawal from the territories as part of aai
agreement on peace cad good relations with neigh?r
botinst states. _ _ ' - ._
Carter said he had noticed that Israel rejected'
the idea before it had even been finished and for-;
wally presented to it. Egyptian Foreign l~linister;
Mohammed Ibrahim Kamel said yesterday the.
plan would be computed in a few days and given`;
to the United States for transmission. to Israel,j
Cairo Radio reported. ~
With Vice President Walter F. Mondale visitin~i
Israel next Friday and Egypt on Monday. and wit~i
Secretary of Slats. Cyrus R.. Vance trying to ar-j
range a meeting with the Egyptian and Israeli for-~
eign ministers, Carter said he could not predict the.
rate of progress onArab-Israeli negotiations. j
ANY PROGRESS will require "good faith and'
.soma flexibility oa both sides; 'Carter noted.
The ppresident rejected an accusation by Leonid
'I. Brezhnev, the Soviet Communist Party general;
secretary, that the United States was trying to
play China off against his country. He is not doing;
that and never will, Carter said, but it is in basic
American interests to have good relations with;
China.:
In a speech Sunday, Brezhnev said that "te-j
Gently attempts have been made. in the United
States of America, and at a high level and is quite;
a cynical form at that, to play t