U.S. and Soviet diplomats met to talk about efforts to end Angola's 13-year civil war and lead South-West Africa to independence. Chester Crocker, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, met on Wednesday with Anatoly Adamishin, deputy foreign minister, at the U.S. Embassy. U.S.-sponsored mediation seeking peace in Angola and neighboring South-West Africa, also known as Namibia, was stalled for years over demands by each side that the other withdraw its forces from Angola first. However, talks progressed in recent weeks after a joint Angolan-Cuban proposal in March for phased withdrawal of Cuban troops. Angola's Marxist government and its Cuban supporters are fighting rebels for control of the former Portuguese colony. The rebels are backed by South Africa and the United States. South Africa rules Namibia in defiance of a U.N. resolution. Referring to Wednesday's talks, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Susan Clyde said in Lisbon: ``They're here to discuss the (southern African) regional issues _ certainly the Angolan and Namibian points.'' Reporters were not allowed into the embassy complex, and Ms. Clyde said neither Crocker nor Adamishin would make any public statements. The discussions followed a meeting of delegations from Angola, Cuba and the United States on May 2-3 in London. South Africa held a second meeting with the Angolans in Brazzaville, Congo, last week. Both envoys to Wednesday's session were to leave today to report to their governments before the Moscow summit beginning May 29 between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev.
