Maputo, Mozambique — Mozambique's National Assembly succombed Monday, to demands from the former rebel movement, RENAMO, that the question of immunity for its MPs be debated as a matter of priority.

Initially, the demand was resisted at a plenary sitting last week, with the ruling FRELIMO Party arguing that the question of immunity ought to wait for advice from Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee.

RENAMO parliamentarians, bouncing on their tables, disrupted all debates in Parliament for two days as they insisted that the question be discussed before anything else.

The House caved in when on the second day of the rancour, RENAMO MPs brought in whistles, hooters and kazoos, creating an even more infernal uproar.

RENAMO chief whip Luis Gouveia threatened that unless the question of immunity was moved to the top of session's agenda, "the parliamentary crisis will continue in this house and throughout the country."

Capitulating, Parliament's Standing Committee said it had now suggested that upon resumption on Wednesday, the House should discuss RENAMO's appeal against a decision in January allowing the Attorney General to start criminal proceedings against certain RENAMO MPs.

The MPs were being investigated in connection with disturbances during the 1999 election campaign, and clashes between police and RENAMO demonstrators in November last year, which left at least 41 people dead.

Although RENAMO would on Wednesday get a chance to vote against the Standing Commission's decision, pundits note that unless the FRELIMO majority made further concessions the former rebel movement was certain to lose the vote.

FRELIMO counts 133 MPs as against RENAMO's 117.