Lukasa Protocol welcomed ending 20 years of war: UNAVEM II extended until February 1995.

The Security Council on 21 November welcomed the signing of the Protocol of Lusaka by representatives of the Government of Angola and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The Protocol, together with the Bicesse Peace Accords, should "lay the foundation for a lasting peace" in Angola, the Council declared in a presidential statement.

In welcoming the signing, UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said the agreement was expected to bring to an end a conflict that had "raged for almost 20 years in Angola and brough untold suffering and destruction to the country and its people". Angola's future lay in the hands of its people and its leaders, he added.

The Protocol was signed on 20 November in the Zambian capital of Lusaka by Angola's Minister for External Relations, Venancio de Moura, and by UNITA's Secretary-General and chief negotiator at the Lusaka peace talks, Eugenio Manuvakola, in the presence of Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. The ceremony was witnessed by several heads of State, Foreign Ministers and other dignitaries. Citing security concerns, UNITA President Jonas Savimbi did not travel to the Zambian capital.

A comprehensive agreement, the Lusaka Protocol consists of ten annexes covering all legal, political and military issues agreed to at the talks. The major political issues include: the police; the UN mandate and the role of the observers of the Peace Accords; the completion of the electoral process; and the question of national reconciliation. The main military issues concern: the re-establishment of the cease-fire; the withdrawal, quartering and demilitarization of all UNITA military forces; the disarming of civilians; and the completion of the formation of the Forcas Armadas Angolanas (FAA).

The Council on 8 December, in adopting resolution 966 (1994), extended the mandate of the UN Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM II) until 8 February 1995, to monitor the cease-fire established under the new Protocol. It also welcomed the Secretary-General's decision to restore UNAVEM II to its previous strength, contingent on strict observance of an effective cease-fire and on guarantees of safety and security for UN personnel.

On 31 October, after approximately a year of negotiations in Lusaka, the heads of delegations of the Angolan Government and UNITA had initialled the Protocol. In a statement issued on that day, the Secretary-General said he hoped the "necessary momentum has now been created for the immediate establishment of an effective cease-fire" and appealed to the parties to take this decision without delay. General Assembly President Amara Essy of Cote d'Ivoire on 2 November also welcomed the development and urged the parties to "end combat in the field immediately".

The Council on 4 November, while welcoming the initialling of the agreement, expressed grave concern over reports of an intensification of military operations in the country that "put the lives of Angolan citizens at risk and jeopardize the successful completion of the peace process". In a statement, it stressed that "any obstruction to the peace process would be unacceptable", and urged the Angolan Government to "exercise its authority to bring an immediate end to the military activities". It called on the parties to honour their commitments, exercise maximum restraint and responsibility, and "refrain from any action that could jeopardize the signing of the Protocol on 15 November 1994".

Expansion of UNAVEM

In a 4 December report (S/1994/1376), Mr. Boutros-Ghali told the Council he would proceed with the expansion of UNAVEM II once his Special Representative, Alioune Blondin Beye of Mali, had reported the cease-fire to be effective. He would also prepare recommendations on the possible mandate for a new UN operation in Angola, which he hoped to submit to the Council before 31 January 1995.

On 7 December, in a letter to the Council (S/1994/1395), the Secretary-General notified that Mr. Beye had reported the cease-fire to be "generally holding, despite some initial difficulties". The Secretary-General, in accordance with resolution 952 (1994) of 27 October, said he therefore intended to proceed with the restoration of UNAVEM II's strength to its previous level and with the deployment of the mission throughout the country.

He stressed that the "actual enlargement of the mission would be dependent on the strict observance by the parties of an effective cease-fire". In addition to existing tasks, UNAVEM II would monitor and verify all major elements of the Lusaka Protocol, provide good offices to the parties, including at the local level, and if necessary conduct inspections and investigations of alleged violations independently or jointly with the parties.

On 20 October, the Secretary-General had reported (S/1994/1197) that as a result of progress achieved since early September, the peace talks were in their final phase. In the expectation that an agreement would be concluded by 31 October, Mr. Boutros-Ghali recommended extending UNAVEM's mandate until 30 November. He again appealed to the Government and UNITA to "exercise the utmost restraint and to desist from all military operations which could undermine the progress achieved in Lusaka".

The Council, encouraged by the substantial progress at the Lusaka peace talks, on 27 October urged the parties to "conclude immediately an agreement and thereafter to establish and respect fully an effective and sustainable cease-fire". By resolution 952 (1994), it renewed the UNAVEM II mandate until 8 December.

In his 4 December report, the Secretary-General noted that, "owing to continued fighting throughout Angola", talks between high-ranking military representatives of the Government and UNITA had begun only on 14 November. During the period, several appeals to the parties were made by the Security Council, Member States and the Secretary-General to put a stop to the hostilities.

After a meeting with the Special Representative and the three observer States in Lusaka, the parties agreed to sign the Protocol on 20 November 1994--five days later than set at the time of the initialling. They also agreed to establish a truce as of 16 November, until the formal cease-fire provided for in the Protocol came into effect.

On 18 November, concerned at allegations that the truce was not being respected, Council President Madeleine Albright of the United States sent identical messages to President dos Santos and Mr. Savimbi, calling on them to "ensure that their forces adhered strictly to the terms of the truce". She also urged them to sign the Protocol at the agreed time.

On 21 November, the Council expressed concern at reports that fighting was continuing and called on the parties to "demonstrate their commitment to peace" by implementing the agreement fully and in a timely manner and, most importantly, to respect the cease-fire required by the Protocol. Also on 21 November, the Secretary-General said immediate action must be taken to implement the agreement and that the cessation of hostilities be established without delay.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali reported on 4 December that intensive efforts by his Special Representative had preceded the signing of the Protocol. After the signing and the cease-fire's entering into effect two days later, the fighting had begun to subside. However, by 24 November, new reports of clashes were received and the humanitarian situation "continued to be severely affected by the intensification of military offensives".

Also following the signing, an interagency mission traveled to Angola "with a view to determining the extension and the modalities of the comprehensive humanitarian aid programme" for the reintegration of displaced persons, repatriation of refugees and the implementation of the demobilization programme, the Secretary-General said.

UNAVEM teams deployed

Mr. Boutros-Ghali also reported that the high-level military talks and negotiations regarding the security arrangements for Mr. Savimbi and other senior UNITA leaders had concluded at Lusaka on 23 November. Further talks, to be held at Luanda on 29 November, did not resume as scheduled since the UNITA delegation, citing logistic and transport problems, delayed its arrival.

In order to enhance the verification capabilities of UNAVEM II and as an additional confidence-building measure, Special Representative Beye had decided to deploy to the countryside small teams of military and police personnel already serving with the Mission and, from 27 to 29 November, UNAVEM regional headquarters were established in Huambo, Luena, Menongue, Saurimo and Uige, in addition to the one already existing in Lubango.