U.S. Acts Against Libya

The Reagan Administration announced today that it was prohibiting the import of crude oil from Libya to the U.S. because of the support the regime of Col. Muammar Qaddafi gives to terrorism throughout the world and Libya’s efforts to destabilize America’s friends in the Middle East.

A senior State Department official told reporters that the U.S. was not seeking “merely an improvement in atmospherics but a change in Libyan behavior.” That behavior, as outlined by the official, included support of terrorism throughout the world, efforts to create instability in Middle East regimes and in some “weak” African nations, the support of radicals in Central America and threats against American officials and their families.

Israel was not mentioned today, as the official stressed that Libyan aims at destabilizing Middle East regimes are specifically directed now at Sudan and Somalia. As for threats to Americans, that has abated since last November when a Libyan was arrested on his way to Khartoum to commit an “outrageous attempt” against Americans in Sudan, the official said.

He said the arrested Libyan was planning to place 20 kilos of explosives each in two stereo speakers destined for the American Club in Khartoum and had the attempt succeeded, the club would have been destroyed and many Americans, both officials and private citizens, would have been killed or injured. The official made no mention today of the “hit squads” reportedly sent by Qaddafi to assassinate President Reagan and other top American officials last fall.

The senior official said that the decision to act on Libya was not a sudden one and was not based on any specific act by Libya, but came after a review of U.S. policy toward Libya that has been going on since the Administration took office last year.

He said the Administration sent a “signal” to Libya last May when it closed the Libyan Peoples Bureau (Embassy) in Washington and again when U.S. Navy ships maneuvered off the coast of Libya to demonstrate U.S. belief in freedom of the seas and were attacked by Libyan jets, two of which were shot down.

OTHER RESTRICTIONS CITED

The restrictions announced today also ban the provision to Libya of U.S. oil and gas technology and equipment which, the official said, are not available outside the U.S. The Administration is also requiring licenses for any exports to Libya except food and agricultural products and medicine and medical equipment. The senior official conceded that America’s allies have not gone along with the ban. But he said the U.S. wants to prevent Libya from using dollar revenues it receives from the U.S. to finance terrorism and other violent activities around the world. He estimated that Libya receives about $2 billion a year from oil exports to the U.S., approximately 10 percent of its oil revenues. The official said Libya could make up the loss by selling oil on the spot market. He noted, however, that with the present world oil glut, the Libyans would have to reduce their price well below the $37 per barrel they are now charging.