Deukmejian Criticizes Reagan’s Policy, Urges Strong U.S. Action

Gov. George Deukmejian on Tuesday joined a bipartisan chorus in criticizing fellow Republican President Reagan’s refusal to impose economic sanctions against the white-minority government of South Africa.

Deukmejian, who last week shifted his own position and endorsed elimination of University of California and state government pension fund investments in companies that do business with South Africa, asserted that the United States “must take stronger action in sending an unmistakable message to South Africa” to dismantle “the immoral system of apartheid.”

In a statement issued shortly after Reagan’s major policy speech on South Africa, Deukmejian said he disagrees with “the President’s failure to impose economic sanctions or to set a deadline for the action that he requested of the government of South Africa.”

Deukmejian specifically was critical of Reagan’s failure to establish a timetable for the Pretoria government to abolish laws governing apartheid.

Deukmejian said that “experience has shown that the government of South Africa will not end apartheid unless it is convinced that the cost is too great to them to maintain it.”

The newest round of criticism of Reagan by Deukmejian widened the breach between the two over the issue of South Africa. In a rare split with the President a month ago, Deukmejian urged Reagan to “turn up the pressure against apartheid in South Africa.”

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Deukmejian’s Democratic rival in the governor’s race, called Reagan’s speech “a major disappointment.” Bradley said the only way to put an end to apartheid is “through international economic pressure, such as divestment and prohibiting contracts with firms doing business with South Africa.”

California Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ed Zschau, who has supported Reagan’s constructive engagement policy, came a step closer Tuesday to breaking with the President by calling for “a total trade embargo on U.S. goods and services to the South African government in order to send a signal that we will not tolerate the continuation of apartheid.”

Zschau spokesman Jim Lemunyon said the Los Altos congressman is still reluctant to join his Democratic rival, Sen. Alan Cranston, in calling for a total trade embargo against South Africa and a requirement that all American subsidiaries pull out of South Africa within six months, because Zschau believes those proposals would destroy U.S. efforts to stabilize the South African crisis.