Malabo, Equatorial Guinea — FOURTEEN alleged mercenaries, among them eight South Africans, will go on trial here on August 23, charged with an attempted coup in this West African state, Attorney-General Jose Olo Obono announced on Friday.

The alleged coup was thwarted in March when 15 men were arrested in Malabo and another 70 in Harare as their plane made a stopover to pick up weapons.

Last week, a Zimbabwean court adjourned until this month the trial of the 70 in Harare, who have been charged with breaking Zimbabwe's firearms, security, aviation and immigration laws.

Obono told journalists that the date for the trial in Equatorial Guinea had been fixed during three days of talks here with a visiting South African delegation. The 14 suspected mercenaries were arrested in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, on March 7.

A fifteenth suspect, a German, died a week later in custody of cerebral malaria, according to the government. The 14 have been charged with treason, terrorism, and illegal possession of weapons, ammunition and explosives, offences against the head of state and against the government system, and offences which could com-promise the peace and inde-pendence of the state.

The 70 on trial in Zimbabwe say the weapons they were picking up were to be used to guard a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A court in Equatorial Guinea has meanwhile issued international arrest warrants for three Britons and an exile living in Spain for their alleged involvement in an unsuccessful coup. The war-rants were issued against Severo Moto Nsa, president of a self-styled government in exile living in Madrid, Spain; Elie Khalil, a British businessman of Lebanese origin; and two other British citizens, Greg Wales and David Hurt.

The authorities in Equatorial Guinea accuse Severo Moto of being the instigator of the alleged coup. Spain has refused to extradite him and Malabo has recalled its ambassador to Madrid and threatened to break diplomatic relations.

A delegation of South African observers met last Monday with the lawyers acting for the 14 men being held in Malabo in connection with the alleged coup attempt to discuss procedures, legal sources said. Wives of some of them arrived last week.

The Herald-AFP