Thatcher Softens Sanctions Stand; Others Hang Tough : Commonwealth Chiefs Take Hard Line on S. Africa

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher eased her position on South African sanctions today, but fellow Commonwealth leaders held out for tougher measures on the ground that her ally, President Reagan, will soon be making concessions.

As a seven-nation Commonwealth mini-summit got down to hard bargaining on a sanctions program, Thatcher softened her previous outright opposition to any 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 said she would not 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 will consider a ban on imports of South African coal, iron, steel and gold coins, as well as an investment ban, if Pretoria does not make significant concessions to its black opposition.

EC foreign ministers will review the question next month.

8 Tougher Measures

Commonwealth officials said that, despite Thatcher’s concession, the other summit participants--Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe--are still holding out for tougher sanctions.

They insisted on applying a list of eight measures proposed by a full Commonwealth summit in Nassau, Bahamas, last October, including a ban on air links with South Africa and imports of farm produce.

Conference officials said Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney told his colleagues that Thatcher will have to give way more because Reagan, the other main opponent of sanctions, will be making concessions before congressional elections in November.

He already faces congressional moves to impose some form of sanctions.

An Indian official told Reuters that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is “not at all satisfied” with Thatcher’s offer today. “Paragraph seven of the Nassau accord is the minimum.”

‘No Vitriol’ in Session

Conference sources said today’s meeting was a little more lively than Sunday’s review session, adding: “There was disagreement but no vitriol.”

They described the talks as “off-the-cuff and reactive,” adding that all present put their views forward.

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 within the EC.

British Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe, rebuffed by the Pretoria government during his EC peace mission last month, has had talks with Assistant Secretary of State Chester A. Crocker.

British officials also said contact has been made with Japan.