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- WORLD, Page 39World NotesSOUTH AFRICAHistoric Opportunity
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- It was a historic photo op: Nelson Mandela, head of the
- African National Congress delegation, sitting down to negotiate
- with South African President F.W. de Klerk. As three days of
- talks got under way last week, De Klerk called the government's
- first formal meeting with the A.N.C. since its founding in 1912
- "a milestone."
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- Maybe, but there is still a long way to go. The A.N.C. went
- into the discussions with a firm set of demands that Pretoria
- must meet before real negotiations can begin: an end to the
- state of emergency imposed in 1986 and an amnesty for A.N.C.
- exiles and political prisoners. De Klerk, in turn, insisted
- that the A.N.C. formally abandon its "armed struggle" and stop
- the violence sweeping the country.
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- The talks concluded with a vaguely worded joint commitment
- to dispel the existing climate of violence and to establish a
- peaceful process of negotiation. It was not the truce many
- hoped for, but at least the two sides are still talking.
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