Senate Votes to Ban S. Africa Textile Imports

The Senate, making clear it is ready to step up economic pressure against South Africa’s white minority government, voted 67 to 29 today to add a ban on imported South African textiles to the sanctions list.

But it balked, 58 to 41, at a proposal endorsed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to give President Reagan specific authority to sell U.S. gold stocks in a bid to depress the price South Africa receives for gold, its most important product.

The votes came as the Senate debated the final shape of a sanctions package, considering a long list of amendments to either strengthen or weaken the sanctions list approved by the committee, 15 to 2.

The sanctions the panel would impose include: barring U.S. landing rights to South African Airways; prohibiting new investment or bank loans; banning the import of South African uranium and coal, and barring the import of products produced by industries owned or controlled by the South African government.

It would also permit South African officials to enter the United States only on a case-by-case basis.

Objectives Set

The committee proposal sets objectives that would permit sanctions to be lifted: the ending of the current state of emergency, the release of African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, the dismantling of apartheid and beginning of negotiations with black leaders toward the creation of a non-racial democracy.

The Senate moved to consideration of the sanctions bill Wednesday night after voting 89 to 11 to limit debate on it.

Reagan is considered likely to veto any sanctions legislation, and a vote of that size is far more than the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

Supporters of sanctions seek to use them to bring pressure to bear to persuade South Africa’s white power structure to end the apartheid system of racial separation.

Textile imports became a symbol of that effort when it became known last month that the Reagan Administration had signed a new textile agreement with South Africa in the midst of the controversy over both apartheid and over the loss of U.S. textile industry jobs due to foreign imports.

Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, contended that a ban on South African textiles would do nothing to weaken the apartheid system but would cost the jobs of thousands of black textile workers.

Pressler’s Amendment

The amendment to reject the gold sale was sponsored by Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), who argued that if implemented, the selling of American gold would hurt the United States far worse than South Africa.

Pressler contended that selling off gold would harm the U.S. mining industry and “wreak havoc on our domestic money system.”

Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) urged the Senate to retain the provision, saying it was intended to “send a message to South Africa.”

“If we delete it, it will mean we are putting less pressure on the apartheid government than we would otherwise,” he said.