Defiant Unita says only talks can end Angola war

LISBON, Portugal (Reuters) -- Angolan rebel group UNITA spurned on Wednesday a government offer of a pardon for rebel chief Jonas Savimbi and reaffirmed that only negotiations could end Angola's civil war.

"The war needs a political solution...because militarily the government has no chance (of winning)," UNITA secretary-general Paulo Lukamba "Gato" told Portugal's Lusa news agency in a telephone interview from Angola.

Breaking a silence of several months, Lukamba dismissed as "pyrrhic victories" loyalist military successes late last year that drove rebels from their central highland strongholds.

He said that UNITA -- the National Union for Total Independence of Angola -- had simply changed tactics, adopting guerrilla warfare and avoiding conventional battles.

Civil war erupted anew in Angola in December 1998 when the government of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos launched an offensive against Savimbi's rebels, accusing them of failing to abide by the terms of a 1994 ceasefire.

Angola, rich in oil and diamonds but with one of Africa's poorest populations, has known little but war since before Portuguese colonial rule ended in 1975.

In a separate statement sent to news agencies, UNITA rejected any unilateral surrender by the group which the government has said could lead to Savimbi being pardoned.

"We desire a just peace and reject the pardon," said the statement, sent to coincide with the 66th birthday on Thursday of the veteran rebel leader whose exact whereabouts are unknown.

The possibility of a pardon was reiterated by the secretary-general of Angola's ruling MPLA party on Wednesday in an interview with Lisbon daily Publico.

"The pardon...was extended to all, including Jonas Savimbi providing he repents and lays down his arms unconditionally," Joao Lourenco said.

The United Nations, which sought to broker a definitive peace in Angola, has imposed international sanctions on UNITA in a bid to cut off its supplies of materials and arms.

The measures were further tightened recently with the launch of a campaign to ban trade in diamonds believed to have come from conflict areas, including rebel regions of Angola.

But Lukamba told Lusa that the campaign was doomed to failure.

"The diamond sector is trying to quieten its conscience over the so-called diamonds of blood," he said.

"But patriots will always have diamonds to sell and weapons to buy," he added, referring to UNITA forces.

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