Islamic Conference Vows Solidarity With Libya

Muslim nations Tuesday declared themselves in “firm solidarity” with Libya, which has expressed fears of military attack by the United States and Israel because of its alleged support for terrorism.

A resolution passed by the 45-member Organization of the Islamic Conference condemned “aggressive escalation on the part of international imperialism and the Zionist entity” against Col. Moammar Kadafi’s radical Arab government.

The resolution pledges “firm solidarity with the Arab Libyan people and its active support in the defense of their sovereignty, territorial integrity and territorial waters.”

The United States is not named. “Zionist entity” is a standard hard-line Arab term for Israel.

Libya came to the weeklong meeting of Islamic foreign ministers, which began Monday, seeking the same type of backing that the Arab League gave in Tunis over the weekend.

Ali Tureiki, the Libyan foreign minister, declared himself satisfied with the statement but added that his government wants action from the Islamic nations, “even military.” He also suggested that the Islamic world boycott American goods.

A conference official acknowledged, “If Israel is bent on attacking Libya, this declaration is not going to stop them.”

Saudi Backing Told

Also on Tuesday, Libya’s government-run media claimed that Saudi Arabia’s generally pro-Western King Fahd promised to use all the “material and financial resources” of his oil-rich country to help Libya repel any U.S. or Israeli attacks. Libya is a member of the Islamic Conference.

Efforts to reach Saudi officials to verify the Libyan report were not immediately successful.

Libyan television, monitored in London, said King Fahd telephoned Kadafi on Monday and “stressed that the Saudi position in the same as Libya’s and that Saudi Arabia stands very strongly by the side of Libya in confronting the imperialist and Zionist threats and places all its material and moral resources on the side of the Libyan people.”

The United States and Israel claim that Kadafi harbors Abu Nidal’s Palestinian terrorist group, which they blame for attacks at the Rome and Vienna airports Dec. 27 in which 15 travelers were killed, including five Americans.

Libya Denies Involvement

In earlier remarks to journalists at the Islamic Conference meeting, Tureiki repeated Libya’s denial of involvement in the airport attacks while stressing its support for the Palestinian movement. “We condemn terrorism, but we still differentiate between terrorism and liberation struggles,” he said.