Savimbi refuses to meet Western peace envoys

LUANDA - Senior western diplomats have tried to see Jonas Savimbi, the former Angolan rebel leader turned presidential candidate, but so far he will not meet anyone, writes Karl Maier.

Pik Botha, the Foreign Minister of South Africa, which, with the United States, was Mr Savimbi's biggest backer during Angola's 16- year civil war, is said by Western diplomats to be planning a visit to Luanda. So is an ad hoc committee from the UN Security Council. Their goal is to dissuade Mr Savimbi, who believes he was cheated of victory in Angola's first general elections following the war, from plunging Angola into a new round of fighting.

While Mr Savimbi's whereabouts remains unknown, his party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita), has been in negotiations with officers of the former government army, UN and Western diplomats, and the national electoral council. Four committees have been set up to investigate Mr Savimbi's claims. Talks are also under way to revoke Unita's decision to pull out of the new armed forces of Angola, formed nine days ago after a merger between Mr Savimbi's guerrillas and the former government army.