ANC’s Threat to Quit Discussions Boomerangs : South Africa: President De Klerk, Inkathas and liberals say the congress is to blame.

The African National Congress’ new threat to pull out of negotiations with the government touched off a round of finger-pointing and criticism of the ANC across the political spectrum Saturday.

President Frederik W. de Klerk denied ANC accusations that his security forces were ignoring the internecine warfare in the townships, and he sharply rebuked the ANC for using the blood bath for “political gain.”

De Klerk stopped short of rejecting the ANC’s ultimatum. The ANC vowed to break off talks if the president refuses to fire two of his Cabinet ministers and take steps to end the carnage by May 9. De Klerk is considered unlikely to meet all the ANC’s demands.

The violence, which has claimed 5,000 black lives in the past five years, has primarily pitted supporters of the ANC against those of the Inkatha Freedom Party, headed by Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi.

The ANC got the last word Saturday. In a statement, it noted “with regret the tawdry response by President De Klerk confirms our impression that the extensive loss of black people’s lives has made no impact on him or his government.”

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of ANC supporters marched peacefully to prisons throughout the country Saturday to demand the release of political prisoners. The government had agreed to free all political prisoners by April 30. But it now appears that deadline will pass with at least some activists still in jail.

De Klerk and the ANC still disagree over what constitutes a political prisoner. Until that issue is resolved, the ANC says it will refuse to enter negotiations for a new South African constitution.

The government, which counts 1,200 political prisoners, has released about 300. The ANC counts 3,000 political prisoners, and includes ANC guerrillas responsible for the deaths of government security forces as well as civilians.

The ANC set up the latest confrontation with the government Friday, when its national executive committee demanded, in an open letter to De Klerk, that the president move quickly to halt the internecine bloodshed.

It demanded, among other things, that De Klerk fire Law and Order Minister Adriaan Vlok and Defense Minister Magnus Malan, outlaw the possession of “traditional weapons” like the spears and clubs carried by Inkatha supporters, and suspend police officers implicated in the killing of 19 ANC protesters over the past year.

The ANC’s statement, which placed much of the blame for the violence on the Inkatha, appeared to have severely damaged the fledgling peace talks between ANC Deputy President Nelson Mandela and Buthelezi. The two men have been working together since January to stop the fighting between their supporters, but so far the violence has escalated.

Buthelezi said that he was “flabbergasted and disappointed” by the ANC statement.

“This does not augur well for future constructive dealings between our organizations,” Buthelezi said. “I now ask, how can I deal with the ANC in the light of their utterances?”

Responding to the ANC ultimatum, De Klerk said the government is “deeply concerned and perturbed about the ongoing violence” and has taken a variety of special steps to curtail it.

But he contended that the ANC was setting new conditions for talks with the government to hide “the serious problems within their own ranks.”

Criticism of the ANC’s ultimatum also came from many traditionally liberal quarters Saturday. The Star newspaper, in an editorial headlined “Ill-Conceived Ultimatum,” said the ANC had painted itself into a corner.

“More than anything, the ultimatum reflects the degree of panic that has gripped the ANC leadership,” the Star said. “Frustrated at not being able to stop the killing, angry at what it sees as government indifference . . . and anxious about losing the political initiative, the ANC has tried to force the pace by throwing down a rather ill-conceived gauntlet.”