For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 7, 2003
Message to the Congress of the United States
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Pursuant to section 202 of the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1622, I hereby report that I have issued an
Executive Order (the "Order"), that terminates the national emergency
described and declared in Executive Order 12865 of September 26, 1993,
with respect to the actions and policies of the National Union for the
Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and revokes that order, Executive
Order 13069 of December 12, 1997, and Executive Order 13098 of August
18, 1998.
The Order will have the effect of lifting the sanctions imposed on
UNITA in Executive Orders 12865, 13069, and 13098. These trade and
financial sanctions were imposed to support international efforts to
force UNITA to abandon armed conflict and return to the peace process
outlined in the Lusaka Protocol, as reflected in United Nations
Security Council Resolutions 864 (1993), 1127 (1997), and 1173 (1998).
The death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi in February 2002 enabled
the Angolan government and UNITA to sign the Luena Memorandum of
Understanding on April 4, 2002. This agreement established an
immediate cease-fire and called for UNITA's return to the peace process
laid out in the 1994 Lusaka Protocol. In accordance therewith, UNITA
quartered all its military personnel in established reception areas and
handed its remaining arms over to the Angolan government. In September
2002, the Angolan government and UNITA reestablished the Lusaka
Protocol's Joint Commission to resolve outstanding political issues.
On November 21, 2002, the Angolan government and UNITA declared the
provisions of the Lusaka Protocol fully implemented and called for the
lifting of sanctions on UNITA imposed by the United Nations Security
Council.
With the successful implementation of the Lusaka Protocol and the
demilitarization of UNITA, the circumstances that led to the
declaration of a national emergency on September 26, 1993, have been
resolved. The actions and policies of UNITA no longer pose an unusual
and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1448 (2002) lifted the
measures imposed pursuant to prior U.N. Security Council resolutions
related to UNITA. The continuation of sanctions imposed by Executive
Orders 12865, 13069, and 13098 would have a prejudicial effect on the
develop-ment of UNITA as an opposition political party, and therefore,
on democratization in Angola. For these reasons, I have determined
that it is necessary to terminate the national emergency with respect
to UNITA and to lift the sanctions that have been used to apply
economic pressure on UNITA.
I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued. This
Order is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on May 7, 2003.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 6, 2003.
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