Syrian Leader Promises Aid to Libya in Event of a U.S. Attack

Syrian President Hafez Assad promised Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi that his country will aid Libya if the United States launches another strike against the North African nation, the two governments said Tuesday.

Assad’s promise of unspecified aid--contained in a statement released in Tripoli, Libya, and Damascus, Syria--came a day after U.S. officials indicated that Kadafi is planning new terrorist attacks and warned that the United States would take action to thwart him.

“The two leaders agreed to confront the provocations by America,” the communique by Libya and Syria said. “President Assad reassured the colonel (Kadafi) that he was placing all Syria’s resources on the side of Libya to confront any American aggressive action.”

No Details Given

The statement, which came after two days of talks between Assad and Kadafi in Libya, did not give details on how Syria would aid the Libyans.

However, Middle East observers said Syria probably would at least provide spare parts or ammunition and launch a campaign in the Arab world to rally support for Tripoli. Both Syria and Libya are armed with Soviet-supplied weapons.

In Moscow, the official news agency Tass said Tuesday that U.S. accusations of Libyan involvement in terrorism are false and said it is clear that the United States is planning a new strike against Libya.

On April 15, U.S. planes conducted a raid on Tripoli and the coastal city of Benghazi in response to reports of Libyan involvement in terrorism.

Closest Allies

Syria and Libya are the Soviet Union’s closest allies in the Middle East. However, Syria, unlike Libya, has a “friendship and cooperation” treaty with Moscow that stipulates that the Soviets will back the Syrians with military personnel and weapons if Syria comes under military attack.

Also in their statement Tuesday, Kadafi and Assad, who led a campaign against Egypt after it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, denounced the U.S.-Egyptian naval exercises in the Mediterranean that began over the weekend.

“The two leaders called on the Arab masses to shoulder their responsibilities and face these provocative maneuvers,” the communique said.