Iran Rejects Peace Bid by Visiting Saudi Envoy

Prince Saud al Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, arrived in Tehran on Saturday in a bid to mediate peace in the Iran-Iraq War, but the Tehran regime vowed to press its war with its Iraqi foes, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency said.

The Saudi prince’s visit came a day after an Islamic committee, meeting in the Saudi capital of Jidda, appealed to Iran and Iraq to observe a cease-fire during the fasting month of Ramadan, which begins Monday, as a first step toward ending the 4 1/2 year-old war.

Invited by Counterpart

Saud--who represents a conservative Sunni Muslim country sharply at odds with Iran’s fundamentalist Shia Muslim leaders--came at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Velayati, according to the news agency.

In their first round of talks, Velayati said Iran will “continue its just resistance against the Baghdad government,” the agency said.

Saud responded by saying that the problems of the Middle East should be solved by the people and that the Saudi government is ready to cooperate with Iran in doing so, the agency reported.

The Baghdad government, in response to the Jidda meeting of the Islamic committee--made up of religious leaders of 18 organizations and institutions--said it is willing to observe a total cease-fire during Ramadan if Iran also pledges to do so. However, in each of the last four years, Iraq offered to stop fighting during Ramadan, but Iran has refused to cease hostilities.

There was no official mention of any discussions about Ramadan in the Saud-Velayati meeting.

During the month of fasting known as Ramadan, Muslims are obliged to abstain during the daytime from food, drink and sex-- as well as fighting.

The Saud visit came shortly after Baghdad radio said Iraqi warplanes hit a “large naval target”--usually meaning a tanker--in the Persian Gulf near Iran’s oil terminal at Kharg Island. There was no confirmation of the claim.