Soviets Assail U.S. Actions as ‘Piratic’ : But Moscow Says It Will Not Take Any Part in Conflict

MOSCOW — The Soviet Union on Tuesday condemned U.S. military attacks on Libyan targets, but a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Moscow will not take part in the conflict in any way.

The official news agency Tass charged that the American actions threatened the stability of the Mediterranean as well as world peace.

Brushing aside assertions that the U.S. 6th Fleet acted in self-defense after Libya fired on it with Soviet-built missiles, Tass said, “The piratic action against Libya sharply aggravates the explosive situation in the area, which may lead to grave consequences going beyond its boundaries.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir B. Lomeiko charged that the U.S. attacks violated international law and the United Nations Charter.

Lomeiko warned that Washington’s actions are “poisoning the atmosphere” for a Soviet-American summit meeting, but his reaction in general was relatively low-key.

Moral Support for Libyans

He made it clear that the Soviet Union will provide psychological and moral support to Libya but avoided answering questions about what other types of aid, if any, might be provided.

The Soviet Union, an ally of Libya’s Col. Moammar Kadafi, supplies the North African state with most of its arms and has stationed military advisers there.

Lomeiko said, however, that Soviet assistance to Libya has been “aimed exclusively at defending its national independence” against outside attack.

He avoided a direct answer about whether the Soviet Union recognizes Libya’s claim to sovereignty over all the waters of the Gulf of Sidra--a claim, rejected by the United States and most of the rest of the world, that lies behind the U.S.-Libyan confrontation.

But he said that Moscow “had no problem” with the claim, comparing it to Canada’s declaration that Hudson Bay is a historic part of its territorial waters.

Lomeiko accused the United States of trying to provoke a military showdown with Libya and said the dispute over the gulf was just a pretext for an attack.

“The Soviet people and state condemn the actions of the U.S. military, which not only destabilize the Mediterranean but threaten world security as well,” he said at a briefing.

Heightening of Tension

Tass, in a formal statement, said the American actions were part of an overall attempt by Washington to impose its will on other sovereign nations.

“Washington clearly seeks to maintain and heighten tensions in world affairs, so as to prevent the improvement of the international situation,” the news agency said.

Western diplomats based here said they expect the Soviet Union to avoid any head-on confrontation with the United States while trying at the same time to reap propaganda advantages from the episode in the Arab world and elsewhere.

For example, Lomeiko said U.S. military actions might “cast a shadow” on agreements reached by President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev at their Geneva summit last November.

But he added quickly that the Soviet Union is in favor of “good conditions for the summit,” implying that it would be held despite the American clash with Libya.