Premier Shimon Peres said yesterday there was no need to declare war on Libya. It would be enough simply to impose economic and legal sanctions against the regime of Col. Muammar Qaddafi, accused of aiding the perpetrators of international terrorism. Peres spoke to high school students hours before President Reagan announced at a Washington press conference last night that he has ordered full economic sanctions against Libya. The Premier noted that Israel agrees with the U.S. call for international cooperation against Qaddafi — made before the President announced sanctions. He observed, however, that some European countries are reluctant to cooperate in sanctions for purely economic reasons.
Peres described the Libyan leader as “a clown, a murderer and a liar, all at the same time. Reagan referred to him as a “barbarian” who is a “flake.”
Peres also told the students that while the Syrians may not want war with Israel because they have not achieved strategic parity, war could erupt as a result of some incident which developed into something more serious than intended. He appealed for restraint in the use of words and the use of missiles.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
