U.S. TROOPS ON ZAIRE'S BORDER DRAW REBEL LEADER'S OBJECTIONS.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Rebel leader Laurent Kabila objected Sunday to the presence of American troops on Zaire's border, calling them a threat to his country's integrity. ``They could move in at any time. They don't recognize the sovereignty of our people,'' Kabila said at rebel headquarters in eastern Zaire. ``For us it is a threat to our territorial integrity Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states. Conversely it states that border changes imposed by force are acts of aggression. ,'' said Kabila, whose forces have taken control of the eastern third of Zaire during their seven-month campaign to oust dictator Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko (mōb  `tō sā`sā sā`kō), 1930–97, president of Zaïre (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). . Kabila also said there should be no international intervention in Zaire. About 1,200 U.S., Belgian, French and British soldiers have set up camp in Brazzaville, Congo, across the Zaire River from the Zairian capital of Kinshasa, in case Westerners have to be evacuated. The U.S. warship warship, any ship built or armed for naval combat. The forerunners of the modern warship were the men-of-war of the 18th and early 19th cent., such as the ship of the line, frigate, corvette, sloop of war (see sloop), brig, and cutter. Nassau also is stationed off the coast of the central African Central African may mean:
While Kabila didn't say specifically that American troops should leave the region, he apparently fears there are more U.S. soldiers than would be needed to evacuate the 500 or so Americans who live in Zaire. State Department officials in Washington refused to comment Sunday on Kabila's objections, but reiterated that the possible evacuation is the soldiers' sole purpose. The rebels have kept up their advance through Zaire, although their representatives are meeting in South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. with officials from Mobutu's government, trying to sort out a peaceful resolution to the crisis. |
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