Reagan OK of Botha Talk Withdrawn

The State Department today withdrew President Reagan’s endorsement of a South African call for a meeting between it and Western leaders.

Reagan’s approval at a news conference Tuesday night was based on early and inaccurate accounts of what South African President Pieter W. Botha had proposed in a speech in Durban, department spokesman Charles E. Redman said.

Redman stressed that the United States would be willing to participate in talks to assist South Africa in a prompt dismantling of apartheid.

However, he said, “there has been no such proposal.”

Welcomed Call for Talks

At the news conference, Reagan said that although he had not seen full accounts of Botha’s speech, he welcomed the South African president’s call for a meeting with leaders of West Germany, France, Britain and the United States.

He left open the possibility of attending himself.

But Redman, reading today from a prepared statement, said: “As the President indicated last night, we want to be helpful and we would be prepared to consider taking part in a conference with our allies and others, including the South African government, that could assist in the prompt dismantling of apartheid and negotiations among South Africans on a government in which peoples of all races would freely participate.

“Early reporting on President Botha’s speech suggested that was what he was proposing. It appears that what he was discussing was the need to focus on regional issues rather than apartheid.

“This is an idea that has been mentioned before. But there has been no official proposal from the South Africans, nor have others said whether they would be interested in participating.”

Rejected by Britain

In fact, Britain earlier today rejected Botha’s invitation, and a Foreign Office spokesman said the government was disappointed that Botha “showed no signs of taking the quantum leap which is so clearly necessary.”

In reply to another question Tuesday, Reagan asserted that despite some “solid citizens,” the anti-apartheid African National Congress is influenced by communist members who have their own agenda for South Africa’s future.

“We’ve had enough experience in our own country with so-called communist fronts to know you can have an organization with some well-meaning and fine people, but you have an element there that has its own agenda,” Reagan said.

“This is what’s happened with the ANC in exile. The ones we are hearing from, that are making the statements, are members of (South Africa’s) Communist Party.”

Despite Reagan’s assessment of the ANC, Redman today reaffirmed the willingness of Secretary of State George P. Shultz to meet with Oliver Tambo, the acting head of the congress, although he said no date had been set for it.

Reagan’s press conference, Page 12.