The Action Alert says since the July 1985 repeal of the Clark Amendment prohibition on U.S. intervention in Angola, conservatives in Congress have launched a drive to funnel aid to UNITA, the South African-backed rebels fighting the Angolan government; at the end of the First Session of the 99th Congress, six pro-UNITA measures were pending in the House and Senate; in addition, Rep. Ted Weiss (D-NY) introduced HR 3690 to prohibit overt or covert U.S. aid to Angolan rebel groups; since the opening of the Second Session on 21 January 1986, three new pro-UNITA initiatives have been introduced. The Action Alert says UNITA's leader, Jonas Savimbi, was in Washington during the last week of January...
The Action Alert says since the July 1985 repeal of the Clark Amendment prohibition on U.S. intervention in Angola, conservatives in Congress have launched a drive to funnel aid to UNITA, the South African-backed rebels fighting the Angolan government; at the end of the First Session of the 99th Congress, six pro-UNITA measures were pending in the House and Senate; in addition, Rep. Ted Weiss (D-NY) introduced HR 3690 to prohibit overt or covert U.S. aid to Angolan rebel groups; since the opening of the Second Session on 21 January 1986, three new pro-UNITA initiatives have been introduced. The Action Alert says UNITA's leader, Jonas Savimbi, was in Washington during the last week of January and the first week of February to lobby for U.S. aid; right- wing forces and administration officials alike rolled out the red carpet to treat Savimbi like visiting royalty rather than Pretoria's lackey; he was cordially received by President Reagan, Vice-President Bush, Secretary of State George Shultz, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole, and other leading administration and congressional figures; in the wake of his visit, South Africa's allies on Capitol Hill are marshaling their supporters for a concerted drive to rush military aid to UNITA within the next few weeks. The Action Alert says last month, the administration formally notified the House and Senate Intelligence Committees that it had authorized $13 million in covert assistance to UNITA, in spite of analyses from the CIA and the State Department which suggest that UNITA has no chance of defeating the Angolan government and little chance of forcing a coalition government; however, Reagan's covert aid package was sharply criticized by both committees. The Action Alert says we must act quickly and diligently to show that aid to UNITA is aid to South Africa and to block a U.S.-South African alliance in Angola. The Action Alert asks people to contact members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee and ask them to propose a motion opposing UNITA aid as a substitute for the Dole resolution; also, contact their Senators and Representative and demand that they vote against any pro-UNITA measures and that they publicly call upon the administration to renounce an alliance with UNITA and apartheid. Ask your federal legislators to introduce companion legislation to DR 3690 in the Senate and to co-sponsor DR 3690 in the House. The Action Alert discusses Sen. Paul Trible, Sen. William Proxmire, the Export-Import Bank, Rep. Claude Pepper, Re. McCollum, Rep. Siljander, Rep. Dornan, HR 3472, HR 3598, HR 3609, HR 3725, S. 1972, SRes 280, S. 2021, S. 2049, and ConRes 284.
