U.S. Says It May Limit Maneuvers
If Libya Stops Armed Resistance
WASHINGTON, March 26 - Reagan Administration officials
Pres Reagan
said today that United States flight and naval operations in disputed waters near Libya may end before the scheduled conclusion next Tuesday provided that Libya did not resume armed opposition to the American maneuvers.
A ranking White House official said late today that the withdrawal of the Navy's 30-ship armada was tentatively scheduled to start on Thursday, but hinged on whether Libya restrained or resumed missile fire at Navy aircraft.
Since American retaliation began Monday for what the United States has said were Libyan SAM-5 missile attacks, there has been no reported military response from the Government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi except for sorties by small naval craft.
Libyan Desert
No New Incidents Reported
"We were over there to make a point and we've made our point," said the official. "Regardless of what Qaddafi says, by international law we are allowed to go into international waters and we've stayed in those waters."
The White House reported no new incidents involving American and Libyan forces today, as American ships and warplanes from the Sixth Fleet continued to operate below the "line of death" Colonel Qaddafi proclaimed in the Gulf of Sidra, a broad body of water that the Libyan leader claims as his own territory...
HINDSIGHT DEPARTMENT
Aided with the advantage of hindsight, what happened in the last week in March? In the Cable Connection interview, we stated that things should come to a head on Tuesday (the 25th), Wednesday (the 26th), and Thursday (the 27th), during the last full week in March (1986). As it turned out, it was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of that last week in March, when the US Navy started blowing Libyan ships out of the water.
Click here to see the New York Times for Fri, March 28th, 1986, to see the news of the previous day (Thursday).
