After its spectacular failure, the UN is back - helped by smarter sanctions but facing the same political problems
United Nations' attempts to keep a presence in Angola are being frustrated by the United States Congress.
Jonas Savimbi's União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola has for decades enjoyed special access to some senators and congressmen, notably the veteran isolationist, Senator Jesse Helms (Democrat, South Carolina). Now Michael Westfal, one of Helms's aides, leads a group of four congressional staff members who have blocked progress on a draft UN resolution, drawn up by diplomats of the Angola 'troika' (USA, Portugal and Russia) at the UN and circulated on 26 August. Westfal says that the proposed 30-strong UNOA (UN Office in Angola) is not a peacekeeping operation and should not get US funding.
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