Sanctions Against Libya Extended

President Reagan on Wednesday extended for six months the U.S. trade and economic sanctions against Libya, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

“The government of Libya continues to use and support international terrorism, in violation of international law and minimum standards of human behavior,” Reagan said in a statement issued in Los Angeles, where he is vacationing. “Such Libyan actions and policies pose . . . (an) extraordinary threat to the national security and vital foreign policy interests of the United States,” the statement added.

The extension of the sanctions, first imposed in 1986, comes at a time of rising tensions between the two countries. There have been recent allegations that Libya has built a factory for producing chemical weapons near the capital of Tripoli. Reagan has said that the United States is considering what action to take, raising the possibility of a military attack.

The U.S. sanctions, which have been routinely extended since January, 1986, include a freeze on Libyan assets in the United States and a ban on most trade between the two nations.