altered the balance of forces in the whole of central and southern Africa. Having successfully smashed the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FLA) in the north, the MPLA has surged southwards, routing the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) from their base in Huambo, taking the entire length of the Benguela railway, and forcing a partial retreat of the South African troops who still remain over sixty miles inside Angola, however. weak position with respect to future 'settlement' in Zimbabwe have now peen smasnee with une Tornadon or the "Zimbabwe Military High Command", whose occarauon mar e menas to escalate the armed struggle has further reduced Vorster's room for manoeuvre. Thus only a 'peaceful agreement in Angola today can provide Vorster with the breathing space he so badly needs In spite of Neto's wishes, fraternal unks nave alreddy been establisnea between MPLA militants and SWAPO (South West African Peoples Organisaplay a key role in determining MPLA's muture relatonsmip with tne soutn AlrIC can regime. It is not surprising that Vorster is still hesitant about accepting Neto's terms since it is by no means clear how far une vero cadersno is able to control lis i ne presence or cuban troops diso places a seeming question mark for Vorster over the reliability of Neto's propositions; but with the imperialist camp campaigning for the withdrawal or cuban and soviet ale. it seems likely that Moscow and therefore Havana?) will support the Neto leadership's line. Certainly the Soviet bureaucracy has made no criticism that foreign in vestment will not be harmed, and his present proposals to Vorster But the break up of settlement" talks and the confirmation of armed struggle in Zimbabwe have brought avnamic of the Zimbabwe struggle will makinE NetO s DroDosais even more of these struggles as far as possible.
last week in no uncertain terms he made it clear that he was against the intervention of Cuba and the Soviet Union in Angola. Above all he said. "1 been invited into the neighbouring countries..
might develop into a terrible war, the To whom they would be unfavourable Mr Callaghan didn't make clear!
RELUCTANT ungers in tne Angolan pie, ne will o ectly. But one can be certain, given its
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In the space of the last few weeks the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) has inflicted the greatest defeat ever suffered by imperialism in southern Africa, and has potentially