Southern Africa: Opening the Door to a Deal

A major obstacle to winning independence for Namibia, the 318,000-sq.-mi. territory that remains under South African control in defiance of international resolutions, has been the continuing presence of 27,000 Cuban troops in neighboring Angola. The topic came up again last week when Chester Crocker, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, met with South Africa's Foreign Minister Roelof F. ("Pik") Botha in the Cape Verde Islands. Crocker reportedly relayed an offer from Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos to cut substantially the number of Cuban troops in Angola if South Africa agrees to withdraw its remaining forces...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!