U.S. Official Meets Leader of S. Africa Rebels

The leader of the main black guerrilla group in South Africa conferred Saturday with U.S. envoy Chester A. Crocker in the highest-level meeting ever held between the African National Congress and the United States.

The guerrilla leader, Oliver Tambo, also met separately with British Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe, and that was the first meeting at that level between the ANC and Britain.

A State Department official in Washington confirmed that Tambo met with Crocker, assistant secretary of state for African affairs. The official said he was unable to provide details.

Frene Ginwala, a spokeswoman for the African National Congress, said Tambo and Crocker talked for about two hours at the request of the State Department “in the context of” the planned visit of Secretary of State George P. Shultz to southern Africa.

Shultz Trip Planned

She said “the talks were candid” and both sides expressed their views on the situation in South Africa “and how we can move forward to resolving it.”

The State Department announced Monday that Shultz had tentatively decided to include South Africa in a visit to eight southern African nations next month to show U.S. interest in a negotiated end to South Africa’s policy of apartheid.

By law and custom, apartheid establishes a racially segregated society in South Africa in which the 25-million black majority has no vote in national affairs. The 5-million white minority controls the economy and maintains separate districts, schools and health services.

At Howe’s Invitation

Tambo met with Howe for nearly two hours earlier Saturday at Chevening, Howe’s country home southeast of London. A Foreign Office statement said it was “a good, candid and open meeting . . . frank and serious.”

Ginwala said the talks were held at Howe’s invitation, and she indicated that the British government “now accepts the centrality of the African National Congress to a solution in South Africa.”

But she also said the ANC regards the agreement last week by the 12-nation European Communities to impose limited sanctions on South Africa as a retreat.

Britain Opposes Violence

The Foreign Office said Howe stressed Britain’s “total opposition to the system of apartheid and our wish to see rapid fundamental but peaceful change in South Africa.” But he also “emphasized that the British government utterly rejected violence as a means of achieving change.”

For years, Britain refused to have any formal contact with the African National Congress, saying the rebel organization, based in Zambia, espouses violence. The ANC is outlawed in South Africa.

Howe also “made it clear that the member states of the European Community are united in their determination to do everything possible to promote a peaceful settlement in South Africa through dialogue and a suspension of violence on all sides,” the Foreign Office statement said.

Europe’s Limited Sanctions

Howe was believed to have tried to explain the Common Market’s decision on limited sanctions. He is chairman of the organization’s foreign ministers’ commission.

Ginwala said the ANC believes the gradual imposition of sanctions is “in fact assisting the (South African) regime because it was able to work out ways of overcoming them.”

She said Tambo conveyed “the deep anger felt in South Africa both at the retreat of the EEC (Common Market) and the failure to take action.”

U.S., Britain Oppose Curbs

The U.S. and British governments have opposed strong sanctions against South Africa, saying they would hurt the black majority and would not bring an end to apartheid.

President Reagan has differed sharply with Congress over U.S. policy toward South Africa. Congress approved a package of sanctions, but chief White House spokesman Larry Speakes said last week that Reagan would veto the bill.