U.S. Rebukes Libya, Cuba at U.N. Over Charges of Raid Complicity

The second day of Security Council debate over the Israeli bombing raid in Tunisia broke off Thursday in a heated exchange between the United States and Libya.

U.S. Ambassador Vernon A. Walters, president of the 15-nation council, angrily rebuked the foreign ministers of Libya and Cuba, who accused the United States of complicity in the Israeli attack.

“My country has fought two great wars for freedom in this century,” Walters declared before adjourning the session until this afternoon. “We have annexed no territory nor have we enslaved any people.

“My country has suffered grievously at the hands of terrorists,” Walters continued. “Many American ambassadors have been killed, many Americans have been hijacked and terrorized. Fairly recently, a young American sailor was slowly and brutally beaten to death. We have felt the acts of terrorism in our people.

“From states like Libya or Cuba, we accept no lessons in international conduct, nor do we permit them to determine our foreign policy.”

Protected by U.S. Veto

Speaking earlier, Libyan Foreign Secretary Ali Tureiki charged that Israel, which he called the “Zionist entity,” could never be curbed because “the plague of Zionism” is protected by the U.S. veto in the Security Council.

“Zionism will destroy the United States, and the American people will eventually pay the price,” Tureiki said.

At a midday news conference, Tureiki charged that the United States refueled the Israeli bombers that struck the Palestine Liberation Organization’s headquarters near Tunis on Tuesday.

“In the last few days, the Americans said one Libyan plane passed the Tunisian frontier but they didn’t see six Israeli planes,” the Libyan commented with heavy sarcasm.

The United States has denied that it assisted the Israelis in any way and announced that it was informed of the raid only after the Israeli planes struck.

Tureiki also asserted that attempts by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency on the life of Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi--attempts he refused to specify--have led to Kadafi’s decision not to attend the 40th anniversary session of the General Assembly.

U.S. Reaction Assailed

Cuban Foreign Minister Isidoro Malmierca, speaking at the opening session of the council Wednesday, assailed the White House’s original defense of the Israeli action as “legitimate,” a position the Reagan Administration later modified. Malmierca said the United States is considering a similar “surgical strike” against Nicaragua.

No resolution has yet been formally presented to the council, but Tunisia has asked for council condemnation of Israel and payment of reparations for the deaths of 60 people and the physical damage to the PLO complex.

An Israeli source who spoke on condition that he not be identified reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir contacted Secretary of State George P. Shultz privately Thursday and asked him to ensure a U.S. veto of any condemnation of Israel.