The World - News from March 15, 1988

Chester A. Crocker, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and South African Foreign Minister Roelof F. (Pik) Botha held talks in Geneva, their first in two years, on recent moves to end the 12-year civil war in Angola. However, no progress was reported, and it was unclear whether a second session would be held. Both Botha and State Department spokesman Charles Redman said they found nothing new in Angola’s latest proposed timetable for withdrawing Cuban troops. Marxist Angola has refused to start a pullout until South Africa stops supporting rebels of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola. Pretoria, in turn, has refused to withdraw its support of UNITA until the Cubans leave.