A senior United Nations security official, Benon Sevan, says President dos Santos has agreed to cooperate with a team attempting to reach the sites where two UN planes have come down over the past two weeks.

Mr Sevan said final arrangements would be worked out when he met the Defence Minister, Pedro Sebastaio, later today.

Both planes came down near the central city of Huambo, where there's been fierce fighting between government forces and UNITA rebels over recent weeks.

UNITA denies holding any captured survivors.