Reagan, Mozambique Leader Urge End to Apartheid

By DOYLE McMANUS

Sept. 20, 1985 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — President Reagan and Mozambique’s Marxist President Samora M. Machel, a political odd couple, joined Thursday in calling for a rapid end to South Africa’s policy of racial discrimination and in protesting South African violations of its 1984 peace pact with Mozambique.

Machel, who until recently was one of the Soviet Union’s closest allies in southern Africa, clasped Reagan’s hand after a two-hour meeting in the White House and declared: “We are friends.”

The Mozambican said he “appreciates the efforts of the international community, including the United States,” to eliminate apartheid, South Africa’s system of racial segregation. A senior Administration official said that comment--coming from a leader of black Africa--was “a salute” to Reagan’s policy of measured pressure on the Pretoria regime.

For his part, Reagan joined with Machel in decrying South Africa’s admitted violation of its 1984 agreement with Mozambique by secretly supporting rebels fighting to overthrow Machel’s leftist regime.

“We are distressed to hear . . . that South Africa has not lived up to the agreement,” the senior U.S. official said after the White House meeting.

The 1984 pact committed South Africa to stop supporting the rebel Mozambique National Resistance as long as Mozambique did not support the African National Congress, the largest black South African resistance movement.

Mozambique Kept Bargain

U.S. officials said that Mozambique appears to have kept its end of the bargain but that South African officials have acknowledged that they have not completely ended their aid to the rebels in Mozambique.

The senior U.S. official said that the Administration is concerned about the issue but added: “We don’t see any evidence that Mozambique intends to walk away from the agreement or scrap it.”

South African Foreign Minister Roelof F. (Pik) Botha and Mozambican Interior Minister Oscar Monteiro met Thursday at the border town of Komatipoort to discuss violations of the 1984 Nkomati Accord, news agencies reported.

Botha admitted the South African violations Wednesday night, reportedly after learning of evidence seized by Mozambican forces.