LONDON: British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher today offered a compromise with commonwealth leaders over South African sanctions, proposing a limited package of meat show disapproval of Pretoria’s apartheid policies As a seven-nation common-wealth mini-summit got down to hard bargaining on a sanctions program, Thatcher softened her previous outright opposition to economic action against South Africa. British officials said she agreed to an immediate voluntary ban on investment in South Africa and promotion of tourism there, and not to stand in the way of a proposed sanctions list drawn up by the European community.
An EC Summit in The Hague in June said it would consider a ban on imports of South African coal, iron, steel and gold coins, as well as an investment ban, if Pretoria did not make significant concessions to its black population,
Community Foreign Ministers will review the question next month.
Commonwealth officials said that, despite Thatcher’s concession, the other summit participants Australia the Bahamas, Canada, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe were still holding out for tougher sanctions.
Conference officials later said Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, had told his colleagues that Thatcher would have to give way more because U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, the other main opponent of sanctions, would be making concessions in advance of mid-term congressional elections in November.
He already faces congressional moves to impose some form of sanctions.
British officials indicated last week that any sanctions would have to have backing from key industrial powers such as Japan and the United States, as well as Britain and West Germany with in the E.C.
British Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe, rebuffed by the Pretoria government during his E.C peace mission last month, has had talks with US, Assistant Secretary of State Chester Crocker.
British officials also said contact had been made with Japan.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 8, 1986
