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THE WHITE HOUSE

                      Office of the Press Secretary
                             (Pittsburgh, PA)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                 September 24, 1997

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)

The President today issued a notice of "Continuation of Emergency with respect to UNITA," first issued September 26, 1993. This Executive Order is necessary for the United States to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 864, which prohibits the provision of weapons and petroleum to the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) movement in Angola. This is not a new action, but continues the current sanctions regime.

The Administration regrets that it must renew this Executive Order in the same terms as previous years, but UNITA's failure to implement completely and expeditiously its obligations under the Lusaka Protocol forces this action. UNITA's failure to act has also prompted the United Nations Security Council to vote that further sanctions be implemented September 30, 1997, unless UNITA takes irreversible steps to comply with its Lusaka Protocol obligations. We call on UNITA to move now to fulfill its outstanding Lusaka Protocol commitments and take its place as a political party in a peaceful Angola.

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