World Notes ANGOLA

Flying back to Pretoria from talks in Cairo, South African Foreign Minister Roelof ("Pik") Botha was in high good humor. Jauntily donning a red fez, Botha told reporters that with the aid of Chester Crocker, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, negotiators from South Africa, Angola and Cuba had made progress on future discussions concerning the withdrawal of Cuban and South African troops from Angola. But the euphoria dissolved the following day, when new fighting broke out. Pretoria said that twelve of its soldiers and 300 Angolans and Cubans were killed when a government force attacked a South African garrison. Officials in Luanda insisted that 26 South Africans and ten Angolans were killed.

Most observers, nevertheless, expect the talks to resume in Washington next week, when top Cuban, South African and Angolan officials will discuss the mechanics of a disengagement. As Botha pointed out with a sardonic laugh, the choice of locale places the Cubans and South Africans on the same side: both must overcome U.S. restrictions and seek special permission for their delegations to fly to Washington.