Appeal!

Fellow countrymen of the Government Armed Forces - FAA

Fellow countrymen of the UNITA Rebel Forces - FALA

Fellow countrymen of the Cabinda Independentist Forces - FLEC's

I, Holden Roberto,

As an old man (mais velho), pioneer of the national struggle for the liberation of Angola, call upon you, as patriots, to depose your weapons to end the self-destruction that the protracted useless and senseless war is causing to Angola, since 1975.

I call upon you, on behalf of the war-ravaged country, to think - with love - on your mothers, sisters and children who do not cease to cry out. Every day, they die unjustly and you too.

The brave and heroic soldiers who defend the people do not kill their own people, as unfortunately it is happening.

Let us, thereby, dialogue and discuss all our problems, differences and grievances, as brothers, sisters and children of this country - Angola. Let us sit down under a shady tree, as our old African tradition demands.

Please, let us cease with the vandalism and stop being the executors of our own people. I hope that this appeal, that I address to you, with highest sense of fraternity and patriotism, will deserve you outmost attention.

PEACE AND RECONCILIATION

Thank you,

Luanda, January 19 2001.