UN plan could 'materialize in near future,' Secretary-General says.

UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar on 3 October expressed his hope that the UNplan for Namibian independence materialize in the near future" as quadripartite talks on the subject continued

Four days before, Security Council members, meeting on the tenth anniversary of its adoption of resolution

435 (1978), supported "the resolute action led by the SecretaryGeneral" to achieve Namibian independence, noting the recent efforts, involving Angola, Cuba, South Africa and the United States, to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in southwestern Africa.

Since May, seven rounds of negotiations-involving Angola, Cuba and South Africa, with the United States as mediator-have been held in London (3-4 May), Cairo (24-25 June), New York (11-13 July), Geneva (2-5 August), and Brazzaville (24-26 August, 7-9 and 26-29 September).

'Waiting in the wings'

On 12 August, a spokesman for the Secretary-General said that the UN was "waiting in the wings" to implement resolution 435. Mr P6rez de Cu6llar on 22 August welcomed what he called "intense negotiations taking place for the settlement of the Namibian question" 'He was encouraged by the apparent predisposition on the part of Angola, Cuba and South Africa to resolve their disputes peacefully. He urged all concerned to make a concrete effort to meet the aspirations of Namibians and to enable the UN to proceed with the Namibian independence plan.

Security Council members, in their 29 September statement, noted efforts by the parties to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in southwestern Africa.

They urged the parties "to display the necessary political will to translate the commitments they have made into reality in order to bring about a peaceful settlement of the Namibian question and peace and stability in the region".

On 13 July, following sessions held on Governor's Island in New York City, representatives of Angola, Cuba and South Africa initialled an agreement which was subsequently approved by their Governments and made public on 20 July This agreement stipulating 14 "essential principles" to establish the basis for peace in the region was recognized as "indispensable to a comprehensive settlement".

Essential principles

The 14 essential principles agreed on at Governor's Island were: The parties agreed to recommend to the Secretary-General a date for commencement of implementation of resolution 435; Angola and South Africa would, in conformity with the dispositions of resolution 435, co-operate with the SecretaryGeneral to ensure Namibia's independence through free and fair elections, abstaining from any action that could prevent the execution of resolution 435; redeployment towards the North and the staged and total withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola on the basis of an agreement between Angola and Cuba and the decision of both States to solicit the on-site verification of that withdrawal by the Security Council.

The principles also included respect for sovereignty, sovereign equality and independence of states and for territorial integrity and inviolability of borders; noninterference in internal affairs of states; abstention from the threat and utilization of force against the territorial integrity and independence of states; acceptance of the responsibility of states not to allow their territory to be used for acts of war, aggression or violence against other states.

In addition, the principles included: reaffirmation of the right of the peoples of southwestern Africa to self-determination, independence and equality of rights; verification and monitoring of compliance with obligations resulting from agreements that may be established; commitment to comply in good faith with obligations undertaken in such agreements and to resolve differences via negotiations; recognition of the role of permanent Security Council members as guarantors for implementation of agreements that may be reached; the right of each state to peace, development and social progress; African and international co-operation for settlement of problems of development of southwestern Africa; and recognition of the mediating role of the United States.

On 8 August in Geneva, the four parties in a joint statement said a de facto cease-fire was in effect, as a result of their approval of a number of steps aimed to prepare the way for the independence of Namibia in accordance with resolution 435 and to achieve peace in southwestern Africa.

They had recommended to the Secretary-General a target date of 1 November 1988 for the beginning of implementation of that resolution. They had approved, ad referendum to their Governments, a tripartite agreement that embodied the 14 principles agreed to on Governor's Island in New York on 13 July.

Angola and Cuba also reiterated their decision to subscribe to a bilateral accord, including a timetable acceptable to all parties for the "staged and total withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola".

On 12 August, SWAPO informed the Secretary-General it would comply with the cease-fire announced in Geneva on 8 August. South Africa informed the Secretary-General on 30 August that it had completed withdrawal of its troops from Angola in accordance with the agreement reached in Geneva. Southern Africa visit

The Secretary-General visited southern Africa in mid-September, meeting in Pretoria with President P.W. Botha of South Africa, and in Luanda with President Eduardo dos Santos of Angola and Sam Nujoma, President of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). After the trip, the SecretaryGeneral reported "a sense that things are moving ahead in a very sincere manner" towards full implementation of the UN plan. The following month, the Secretary-General described the mid-September discussions in South Africa a "frank and constructive".

During his visit to South Africa, the Secretary-General discussed with President Botha practical arrangements for the implementation of resolution 435, including the questions of the composition of the 9,500-member United Nations Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) and the electoral process, as well as Namibia's economic viability after independence. He stressed that the issue of Cuban withdrawal from Angola was a bilateral matter

During his visit to South Africa, the Secretary-General also met with representatives of internal parties of Namibia. He had reassured all concerned that the United Nations would maintain absolute impartiality towards all Namibian parties during the transitional period leading to free elections and independence. In this connection, he had emphasized that the UN would place all political parties of Namibia on an equal footing and that they would be treated equally

The Secretary-General also reached agreement with the South African Government to dispatch a UN technical team to visit Namibia as a matter of urgency in order to update the Organization's plans in regard to administrative and logistic requirements, as well as budgetary provisions, for UNTAG. The technical team would review the situation on the ground and hold discussions with senior South African officials in the field.

On 2 October, the UN dispatched a 25-member technical mission to Namibia and South Africa, its main task to assess UNTAG's requirements. In addition to a cease-fire and troop withdrawal, the UN plan for Namibian independence calls for free and fair elections, under the supervision and control of the United Nations.

While in Luanda, the SecretaryGeneral informed President dos Santos and the President of SWAPO of his talks with South African leaders. The Angolan President presented an evaluation of the external and internal aspects of the situation his country was facing.