101 House Members Urge Reagan Not to Aid Angola Rebels

More than 100 House members urged President Reagan today not to change U.S. policy toward Angola by providing aid to guerrillas fighting the African nation’s Soviet-backed government.

“All of us agree . . . that U.S. involvement in this conflict, whether direct or indirect, covert or overt, would damage our relations with governments throughout Africa and undermine fundamental U.S. policy objectives in southern Africa,” the 101 members said in a letter to Reagan.

The House voted earlier this year to eliminate the so-called Clark Amendment, which barred U.S. aid to any faction in Angola, and legislation has been introduced to give $27 million in “humanitarian” aid to the guerrilla forces of Jonas Savimbi and his National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, known as UNITA.

Backed by South Africa

Savimbi has been supported by South Africa, which also has sent its troops into Angola, and opponents of the aid said it could be seen as U.S. support for South Africa’s policies.

Besides, the letter said, “U.S. assistance is not needed since the South African government has shown itself prepared to provide whatever assistance UNITA requires.”

The Administration opposes the bill, but Reagan spoke positively Friday of covert aid for UNITA’s “freedom fighters.” Secretary of State George P. Shultz said Sunday he favored aid to UNITA where “effective.”

Shultz wrote House Republican leader Robert H. Michel of Illinois recently asking him to block the aid legislation, a position that sparked strong criticism from conservatives.

Rep. Matthew F. McHugh (D-N.Y.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the foreign operations appropriations subcommittee, initiated the letter to Reagan.

Perception of Collaboration

Any U.S. assistance to Savimbi “will inevitably be perceived as collaboration with the policies of the South African government,” McHugh said.

Rep. Howard Wolpe (D-Mich.), chairman of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, said the vote to repeal the Clark Amendment should not be interpreted as support for Savimbi or UNITA.

The letter said a fundamental U.S. aim has been the removal of Cuban troops from Angola and warned, “A decision to assist UNITA would complicate this effort by undermining our role as a mediator.”