U.S. and Britain Confer on S. Africa; Limited Sanctions May Be Studied

An American official met with Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe on Thursday as speculation grew that Britain and the United States are considering joint limited sanctions against South Africa.

Chester A. Crocker, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, conferred for 30 minutes with Howe at the Foreign Office.

Earlier, officials said Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher won Cabinet support for her continued opposition to tough sanctions despite Howe’s recent failure to win concessions from South Africa’s white leaders on the country’s system of racial separation known as apartheid.

“Ministers reaffirmed their unanimous support for the policy on South Africa and sanctions which the prime minister and the foreign secretary have pursued and will continue to pursue,” a government spokesman said after the Cabinet meeting. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

But in radio and television interviews, Howe stressed that his government still believes in trying to persuade the South African government to negotiate an end to apartheid.

“Nobody, I think, any longer has any illusions we are going to solve this problem by comprehensive mandatory sanctions,” Howe said.

“It is a matter of judging how much further we go -- if at all. The Cabinet, the prime minister, myself and indeed many people beyond this country are agreed on that reasonable, rational and calm approach to an intensely difficult situation,” he said.

Howe refused to comment on speculation that Britain and the United States are considering a series of limited steps against South Africa. However, British officials indicated privately that the Conservative government was prepared to consider a harder line.

In the House of Lords, Howe’s deputy, Baroness Young, said the Cabinet “was deeply dismayed by (South African) President (P.W.) Botha’s discourtesy to Sir Geoffrey” during Howe’s tour of southern Africa that ended this week. Botha accused Howe of interfering and compared the Irish Republican Army, which has attempted to assassinate Thatcher, to guerrillas who are fighting to establish black majority rule in South Africa.