Libyan-Syrian merger is held in abeyance

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Libyan leader Muammar al- Qaddafi have failed after five rounds of talks in Benghazi, Libya, to merge their countries into a single state. The two countries, which are 500 miles apart, agreed to merge in a joint declaration made in Tripoli, Libya, Sept. 10. But a joint communique seemed to indicate that an immediate merger was not in the offing. Listing the outcome of the talks, it said the two leaders decided to form a "revolutionary leadership for unionist action" until such time when the merger is fulfilled.