UNITA rejects Angolan amnesty offer

The Angolan rebel group, UNITA, has rejected a new offer of an amnesty by President Dos Santos to those who surrender.

Even before the details of the amnesty have been made public, UNITA rejected it outright.

It said that the head of state lacked the legitimacy to declare any type of amnesty.

Instead, the rebels repeated their demand that Angola's two warring parties should take part in direct negotiations with impartial mediation.

A UNITA spokesman, Joffre Justino, told the BBC his group was awaiting a government response to its twelve-point plan for reconciliation.

All previous offers of clemency have been rejected by the rebels.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service