Secretary of State James A. Baker III is switching back to Cold War-era language in an effort to defeat a House move to cut off U.S. aid to anti-communist rebels in Angola. In a private memo he sent recently to House Minority Leader Robert Michel, R-Ill., Baker said ending aid to the Angolan rebels would derail peace negotiations ``and would be a vote for more killing, more stalemate and more suffering.'' This is ``the absolutely worst time'' to halt the aid, Baker said. The United States has been providing covert aid to the UNITA rebels in the southwest African country since 1986, but congressional sentiment against continued assistance seems to be increasing. At stake is a reported $60 million for the rebels in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The issue could go to the House floor this week. Critics of administration policy contend that more aid to the rebels will only prolong a conflict that has lasted 15 years and caused immense human suffering. They also point out that well over half the 50,000 Cuban troops in Angola have gone home. The rest will be out in less than nine months. One amendment before the House would cut off all U.S. aid to UNITA unless President Bush declares that vital national security interests are at stake. Another would require an aid cutoff unless Bush certifies that the Soviet Union or third parties are continuing to send weapons to the leftist government in Luanda. U.S. aid also could be restored if Angola refused to continue peace negotiations with UNITA in good faith. Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has said his government will halt all weapons imports if UNITA does the same. He also has said he is committed to instituting a multi-party democratic system in Angola. The Angola issue features a curious mixture of Soviet-American competition and cooperation. On one hand, Moscow and Washington have been arming opposite sides. On the other, Soviet and American representatives were present for the first time at the most recent negotiating session between Angolan officials and UNITA envoys. Four rounds of peace talks have been held in Lisbon and a fifth is scheduled there for later this month. Another anomaly is that the United States, although it does not recognize the Angolan government, is that country's largest trading partner because of oil purchases. UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was in Washington last week, making his case for continued U.S. aid. He agrees with the administration that U.S. aid has forced the Angolan government to the bargaining table and that a cutoff could put his goal of a cease-fire and free elections beyond reach. Baker concurs. In his memo to Michel, a copy of which was made available to The Associated Press, Baker said an aid suspension would undercut those in the Angolan government who want to negotiate and ``strengthen the hand of hardliners who want to continue the bloodshed.'' Angola's United Nations ambassador, Manuel Pedro Pacavira, counters by saying that continued aid to UNITA can no longer be justified because of the toll of 15 years of warfare. ``Our people have suffered enough,'' Pacavira has said. ``More than 50,000 people are amputees, most of them women and children, and more than 800,000 civilians face starvation resulting from the combination of war and drought. This is the legacy of war, a legacy we can change now.''
