Allies reluctant to cut ties

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 6

Allies reluctant to cut ties

NZPA-AP London Western European countries, many with thousands of workers in Libya and who buy oil from the North African country, say they are reluctant to go along with the United States move to cut economic ties with Libya because such sanctions seldom work.

President Reagan asked the European allies to help isolate the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddaffi. But the Soviet Union served notice on Washington that it would not stand by idly in the event of further United States measures against Libya. A senior Foreign Ministry official said yesterday Mos-

cow would continue to support Tripoli against what he called United States State terrorism, and the State news media had a stream of reports condemning President Reagan’s sanctions. Britain said it would not actively join President Reagan’s campaign to isolate Libya but pledged it would not take any action that would undermine the measures.

The Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, told the United States Ambassador, Mr Charles Price, that Britain would not encourage its firms to replace trade lost by Libya through the United States sanctions, a Foreign Office spokesman said.

He said Mr Price, who had requested the meeting to discuss the United States measures, had not made specific appeals for British action. The French Prime Minister, Mr Laurent Fabius, had doubts about the effectiveness of economic sanctions.

He said economic pressure against South Africa had been effective, but past efforts to impose sanctions on Libya had not worked. In Bonn, Chancellor Helmut Kohl is expected to reiterate West Germany’s opposition to sanctions against Libya. The West German Cabinet ruled out sanctions of its own against Libya but a Government spokesman

said Bonn sympathised with Mr Reagan’s reaction to guerrilla attacks on Rome and Vienna airports last month.

The Italian Prime Minister, Bettino Craxi, has said his country, which is Libya’s former colonial ruler and has 15,000 citizens working there, would be forced to reconsider its longstanding close ties with Libya if there were proof of its involvement in the Rome attack.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Yasuhiro Nakasone, said Japan would react quickly to the United States request for sanctions against Libya but did not specify what action it might take.