Mutual Feelings

A pact between wary neighbors

Mozambique President Samora Machel has long been one of the most implacable foes of South Africa's apartheid system. Returning the sentiment, South African Foreign Minister Roelof ("Pik") Botha has seldom bothered to hide his hostility toward his country's Marxist, black-ruled neighbor. But when both men finally met in Mozambique's capital of Maputo last week, it was to shake hands and talk peace. After eight hours of discussions, negotiating teams for the two sides emerged to announce that they had agreed to sign a joint security pact.

The uncharacteristic mood promises to rein in a dangerous escalation in tensions between the two countries, with each accusing the other of sponsoring cross-border subversion. Although details of the pact remain to be settled, it would prevent the use of Mozambique as a base for the militant African National Congress (A.N.C.), which has mounted sabotage attacks on South African targets, including government installations and police stations. In turn, South Africa would tacitly agree to withhold support from the 10,000-member Mozambique National Resistance (M.N.R.) movement, an insurgent group that has plagued Mozambique for the past five years.

For Machel, the decisive impetus toward accommodation was a growing fear that South Africa might unleash its vastly superior muscle against Mozambique. In the past year South Africa has conducted major military operations against guerrilla strongholds of the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) in Angola and has staged periodic raids on A.N.C. bases in Mozambique. Despite its battlefield successes, however, South Africa has been growing weary of the regional struggle, which is expected to consume some 10% of this year's national budget and has brought a mounting toll of casualties.

The security accord offers a fresh glimmer of hope for peace throughout the region. Earlier this month Angola and South Africa agreed to a cease-fire and the disengagement of South African forces in Angola, to be monitored by a joint Angolan-South African commission. The U.S., which has played a key role in bringing the antagonists together, last week sent a team of diplomats to the Namibian capital of Windhoek to observe the progress. The improving climate prompted Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda to suggest that South Africa might one day even be welcome to join the Organization of African Unity. qed