Africans Condemn Reagan for Barring S. Africa Sanctions

Foreign ministers from 50 African countries Wednesday condemned President Reagan for refusing to impose sanctions against South Africa, saying his speech Tuesday was an apology for “inhuman apartheid.”

The ministers adopted a resolution at a meeting of the Organization of African Unity that said Reagan sought to block an emerging consensus in Congress in favor of sanctions.

The OAU foreign ministers, preparing for a meeting next week of African presidents and heads of government, said, “The speech represents covert support for racism which the majority of the American people have rejected through the call of their representatives for sanctions.”

The resolution was proposed by Nigerian Foreign Minister Bolaji Akinyemi, who declared earlier that Reagan had made a calculated attempt to arrest the momentum of international and American opposition to apartheid.

Reagan’s View

Reagan rejected punitive sanctions against Pretoria and said South Africa would withdraw into isolation if foreign intervention and threats continued.

The foreign ministers urged American legislators to defy the President and impose comprehensive and mandatory sanctions they said “would bring down the racist regime and avoid a bloodbath.”