sentences:  Thatcher resisted international pressure to impose economic sanctions on South Africa, where the United Kingdom was the biggest foreign investor and principal trading partner.This meant that the status quo remained the same, and British companies continued to operate in South Africa, although other European countries continued trading to a lesser degree.According to Geoffrey Howe, one of her closest allies, Thatcher regarded the ANC, which fought to end apartheid, as a "typical terrorist organisation", as late as 1987.