Press Conference after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister (Brian Mulroney)

(1) BBC Radio News Report 2400 13 July 1986:

In Montreal, Mrs Thatcher has been having discussions with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Brian Mulroney, about the question of sanctions against South Africa. She reiterated her view that the dismantling of apartheid must be achieved by negotiation—and she had not changed her mind about the inappropriateness of economic sanctions. Our correspondent, James Cox, is in Montreal: [end p1]

At a news conference at Montreal airport, Mrs Thatcher stone-walled against a barrage of reporters' questions, saying only that her meeting with Mr. Mulroney had not been a decision-making one but merely a preliminary exchange of views. She refused to comment on former Home Secretary Leon Brittan 's call for sanctions, adding that her own position had not changed—she does not think sanctions will work. She said she abhorred apartheid, the only question was how best to get rid of it, and she denied that the Commonwealth was in danger of falling apart because of her stance:

Margaret Thatcher:

I believe the Commonwealth is strong enough to take these matters in its stride. The Commonwealth has endured many things and the Commonwealth is strong, it is strong, and will continue in being by virtue of the loyalties of all its members to the great concept of commonwealth.

Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, was little more forthcoming, though he was more outspoken in his condemnation of South Africa's government, calling it an evil regime which had committed a quasi criminal act by its military attacks on neighbouring black states.

(2) BBC Radio News Report 0700 14 July 1986: [end p2]

Mrs Thatcher stone-walled a barrage of reporters' questions, saying only that she had had an excellent preliminary exchange of views with Mr Mulroney but that no decisions had been taken. Repeatedly she was asked if her views on sanctions might cause the break up of the Commonwealth and that the African withdrawals from the Commonwealth Games might be the first sign of that:

Margaret Thatcher:

I think it's very sad that some nations withdraw from Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth to me is important. It's endured many things, it's had many problems, and so far it has held very well together and if it's strong as an organisation it will continue to do so. The problem, she said, was how best to end the abhorrent policy of apartheid, as she called it, and said that only negotiation could in the end do so. Mr Mulroney, however, said that the South Africans had shown contempt for the Commonwealth by their treatment of the Eminent Persons Group and the quasi criminal military attacks on neighbouring states while the EPG was at work. He said ‘we must follow through on the Commonwealth decision to consider other forms of pressure on Pretoria’, and said nothing would give Mr Botha more pleasure than to see the Commonwealth failing to unite on the issue. But he added that if the Commonwealth could not agree, Canada would take its own measures in concert with others of like mind.