French ‘plotted- Gadaffi murder’

Press, 17 November 1981, Page 8

French ‘plottedGadaffi murder’

NZPA New York The Government of the former French President, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, was planning an assassination attempt on the Libyan leader, Muammar Gadaffi, and sought the United States Government’s approval early this year, “Time” magazine reports.

Quoting unidentified sources in \yashington, “Time” says in its current issue that a high-ranking official in Mr Giscard’s Government presented the plan to high-ranking Reagan Administration officials. The French and American officials have denied that any covert action was planned although they have admitted that Libya was discussed at meetings they had.

The United States would not have been directly involved in the assassination

attempt, the magazine says, but the French asked that the United States give quick recognition to Colonel Gadaffi’s successor in the event of a coup d’etat. “Time” says the plan was never approved, although American officials agreed to continue discussions. The plan fell through when Francois Mitterrand defeated Mr Giscard in the presidential election in May. “The French official proposed that the killing be done by a group of Libyan exiles, trained and controlled by the French,” “Time” says its sources told it. Edwin Meese, counsellor to President Reagan, would neither confirm hpr deny the plan, “Time” says. But the magazine quotes the State Department’s spokesman as saying there was “no discussion of a covert plot to overthrow Gadaffi.”