JOHANNESBURG. July 6. President Nelson Mandela en ters' the thicket of African diplomacy Thursday by hosting talks on the 19-year-Angolan civil war that has defied negotiations. elections and sanctions. reports AP

In his first foreign peace -n. king efforts since coming to powe. n May. Mandela has invited A..,tolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and two other African leaders to Pretoria to launch l,.. Intervention requested by the United Nations.

He said Monday he planned to meet over the weekend or early next week with Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi with the eventual goal of bringing dos Santos and Savimbi io the same table.