Angola — Aboiut 57 children who were strayed from the attack of Caxito in Angola have been handed over to the Catholic Mission in Ambaka in the care of priest Joaquim Ribeiro with the express demand to be sent to bishop D. Mota Mourisca the President of the Peace Movement "PRO PACE".

The locality of Ambaka (Uge province) is 2 miles away from the Catholic Mission. The garrison of Ambaka was attacked and dispersed without any significant resistance from FAA and PIR. Subsequently, the children were handed over to the priest of the Catholic Mission last Friday.

The leadership of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) said in a statement here that it has the courage and the wisdom to correct its errors wherever they happen.

"The abduction of children is an infringement of the conduct law of UNITA´s Armed Forces. It is not the same in the ranks of MPLA Forces," the party said in a statement. They said the UNITA leadership was angrily to the statements of Professor Hibraim Gambari and the Portuguese authorities.

"UNITA considers Mr. Gambari and all Portuguese authorities disqualified for any possible attempt on mediation between UNITA and the MPLA Government," the party stated.

According to them, there will be no peace in Angola without dialogue between the MPLA Government and UNITA and other political institutions making up the civic society.

"It is a merely wishful thinking to demand UNITA forces to declare an unilateral cease fire as it is of a public knowledge that José Eduardo dos Santos declared the current war on 5 December 1998," they said in a statement. The offensive of MPLA´s forces is still in motion all over Angola, they added.

"As dos Santos had the courage and arrogance to declare the war he must be advised to call off this un-winning and destructive war. Only then UNITA will respond," the party said.

They said further that UNITA forces were enjoying at very moment a relative initiative in the theatre of operations, most importantly in Kwanza-Sul, Lundas, Central Highlands, Benguela province, Huíla and Bié. "We have accepted the Lusaka Protocol as a simple framework to start from. Before that, the struggle continues. Our motherland or death," the statement issued by the party's standing Committee said.

The 57 children had followed from the attack on Caxito on 5th May 2001. This gesture, according to them, corresponds to the conduct of discipline of Armed Forces. It is ridiculous for the MPLA´s Armed Forces to pretend that they have rescued the children after a battle of nine hours, they claimed.

Miraculously for the children, such a long battle did not produce deaths among them or injuries. The so-called valiant forces of the MPLA did not capture any UNITA soldier to parade him before the international media as they have accustomed Luanda, a statement said.