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Though the aid package made the biggest headlines last week, a whole menu of regional issues was on the table in Washington. In an effort to end Angola's 15-year civil war, Shevardnadze met for the first time with Jonas Savimbi, leader of the U.S.- backed guerrilla forces, while Baker sat down with the Soviet-backed government's Foreign Minister, Pedro de Castro Van-Dunem. Shevardnadze also consulted with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir on the emigration of Soviet Jews and resumption of diplomatic relations, which Moscow severed after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
There were still some sticking points reminiscent of the old days of superpower stalemate. As Richard Burt, chief U.S. START negotiator, put it, "Arms control will not take care of itself." Both sides are eager to sign a START treaty, which would cut strategic nuclear arsenals one-third. But still outstanding were a number of technical issues, most involving inspection and verification. More seriously, there have been reports that the Soviets have simply removed weapons from Europe rather than destroying them, which violates the spirit if not the letter of the just signed Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. Such fiddling with the treaty terms might delay ratification by the Senate and make lawmakers more suspicious of the terms of the START treaty.
But it was hard to imagine that the remaining conflicts could not be resolved. Diplomats savored the chance to construct a new international order, piece by piece, that would take crises in stride. There are risks, to be sure, in euphoria, but there is real cause for hope in the results of these meetings. Shevardnadze put it simply: "We are indeed in a very new phase of our relations." Underscoring the growing cordiality between the once hostile superpowers, President Bush offered the Soviet Foreign Minister a personal tour of his home to show off his Christmas decorations.