The World : Aussies Shut Libya Mission

Australia ordered the immediate closing of the Libyan People’s Bureau (embassy) in Canberra and gave its two Libyan diplomats 10 days to leave the country because of what Prime Minister Bob Hawke called the North African nation’s “destabilizing role” in the South Pacific. Without giving specifics, he said the Libyans have engaged in “clandestine activity, which has become more intense during the course of the year.” He also said that Libya has begun to “intrude” into Australian domestic affairs, an apparent reference to Libya’s recent support for radical groups within the aboriginal community.