Talks follow invasion

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The first ever national day of action on Guatemala was held on January 31 THE USA has followed up South Africa's recent military drive into Angola with a diplomatic offensive.

US assistant Secretary of State Chester Crocker is in southern Africa trying to put together a deal.

The essence of the US policy is that South African withdrawal from Namibia should be linked with withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola.

But South African rule in Namibia rests on no right but the brute force that maintains it against the resistance of the Namibian people. Cuban troops are in Angola by invitation of the Angolan government.

There is no evidence that the majority of the Angolan people want them withdrawn; and anyway, that is a matter for the Angolans and the Cubans - not for the US and South Africa.

Crocker's deputy Frank Wisner met in Cape Verde on January 20-22 with Angolans and South Africans, and new US/ Angolan/ South African talks are expected soon.

The US is reported to be offering diplomatic recognition for Angola's MPLA nationalist government as an inducement to push Angola into talks - and to get Angola to bring the Namibian liberation movement SWAPO into line. There is also talk of a coalition government between the MPLA and the South African backed UNITA rebel force as one of the conditions for a settlement, alongside Namibian indepen..dence and Cuban withdrawal from Angola.

South Africa has promised temporary let-up on its incursions into Angola. Some exchange: a temporary (and formal, at best, given South African involvement with UNITA) recognition of Angolan independence, in return for discussing a package coupling Namibian independence with demands infringing Angola's sovereignty!

The apartheid state has also been pressing its advantage with Mozambique.

Mozambique is hard-hit by drought, famine, and harassment from the South African backed Mozambique Resistance Movement.

There were talks on January 16 at which Mozambique representatives seem to have made concessions in terms of promising action against bases in Mozambique of the black South African anti-apartheid movement, African National Congress.

"A joint statement" , reported the Guardian, "emphasised that 'practical ways.

and means of achieving peace THE government is due to announce within the next few days its chosen sites for Britain's first freeports, or free trade zones.

Felixstowe, Tilbury, Prestwick (Glasgow), Southampton, Belfast and Liverpool have been mentioned as possibilities in the press.

According to the Financial times, free trade zones are now said to account for ten per cent of all world trade. The FT, however, thinks that this figure, and the usually given estimate of about 400 FTZs world-wide, may be exaggerated.

It all depends exactly what you define as an FTZ.

Genuine FTZs - fenced-off areas in which companies can operate for the world market free of export/import controls or tariffs — are, however, certainly growing in importance.

About 150,000 workers are employed in FTZs in South Korea, and 70,000 in Taiwan.

and security' had been cussed.

: "[The delegations] s that methods to prev either country from be used as a 'springboard' acts of subversion had b discussed... They had ¿ discussed the practical plementation of an agreem along these lines."

The governments a talked about resuming supplies of cheap labour fr Mozambique to South Afi which were a major feature Portuguese colonial rule Mozambique.

MURDERED Many other South East Asi countries have FTZs, and tl northern border zone of Mexi has long been an importa FTZ.

Now FTZs are spreading other Third World areas like t] Caribbean, to the Stalini states, and to the advance capitalist countries.

Yugoslavia, Romania ar China have FTZs, and Hungal is planning one. The US is sa: to have 83 FTZs. There al several in continental Europ especially in West German: which has a particularly bi FTZ in Hamburg.

In Third World countrie: FTZs usually have not onl exemption from trade control and tariffs, but also exemptio from labout protection laws an bans on trade unions. In th advanced capitalist countries the FTZs usually have only t exemption from trade controls tariffs, and maybe some othe taxes.

But watch out!

Published by Socialist Forum for Southern Africa Solidarity.

Available (at 90p plus 20p post) c/o SO, 28 Middle Lane, London N8.

90p Bob Fine

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