Europe Group Acts Against South Africa : Limited Economic Sanctions Include Total Ban on Oil

European Community foreign ministers today agreed on limited economic sanctions against South Africa, including a total ban on oil sales, diplomatic sources said.

They described the measures as “symbolic” and in line with sanctions announced Monday by President Reagan and said they underline the group’s impatience with the lack of significant progress toward ending South Africa’s apartheid.

The community’s three main oil exporters, Britain, the Netherlands and Denmark, already ban oil sales to South Africa.

A French source said the sanctions include a ban on all arms cooperation and the supply of new nuclear equipment, as well as the withdrawal of military attaches from South Africa.

British Hedge on Attaches

They said Britain had retained the right to abstain from implementing the decision on withdrawing military attaches. It argued that the move would be counterproductive and deprive the community of a valuable source of intelligence at a time when the military is playing an increasingly important role in South Africa.

Otherwise, the measures, many of which are already enforced by a majority of community states, were approved unanimously.

The ministers rejected more radical French proposals for bans on imports of gold krugerrand coins and on new investment in South Africa and new government export credit guarantees, they said, but banned official sporting and cultural ties.

The ministers received a letter from Secretary of State George P. Shultz earlier today urging them to follow Washington’s lead in imposing limited sanctions, the sources said.

They said the letter was not well received. West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher was quoted as commenting that Shultz only recently wrote to community governments urging them to refrain from sanctions against South Africa.