Shultz Accuses Soviets on Arms for Iran

Secretary of State George P. Shultz on Wednesday accused the Soviet Union of failing to act as forcefully as the United States to stop the flow of weapons to Iran in its seven-year war with Iraq.

Shultz spoke at a luncheon he hosted for members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, an organization of Saudi Arabia and the small sheikdoms along the Persian Gulf’s West Coast. A senior State Department official told reporters that the Arab leaders expressed fear that Iran may attack their countries if the regime of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini triumphs in its “final offensive” against Iraq.

“In our recent discussions in Stockholm and Washington, we and Soviet officials agreed that we share a common interest in seeing an end to the Iran-Iraq War,” Shultz said in his formal remarks at the luncheon. “However, the Soviets have not acted as forcefully as we in moving to block arms resupplied to Iran from countries with which they have influence. We wish they would do more.”

The Soviet allies referred to by Shultz, the official said, are Syria and Libya, as well as Eastern European governments. The same official said Shultz assured his Arab guests that Israel has told Washington it stopped selling weapons to Iran in 1983.

Repeats U.S. Warnings

Shultz reiterated the U.S. commitment to ensure the free flow of oil exports through the Straits of Hormuz, and he recalled U.S. warnings that an expansion of the war to threaten any third nations “would constitute a major threat to U.S. interests.”

“We support your individual and collective self-defense and are ready to work with you,” he added.

In a daylong series of meetings with Arab foreign ministers, Shultz urged the pursuit of an overall Mideast peace settlement through direct negotiations with Israel, the official reported. However, the Arabs, led by Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shareh, advocated instead that an international conference deal with the problem, a formula rejected by Israel. Shareh insisted that an international meeting under U.N. auspices is essential to guarantee that Arab participants have “equal footing.”

The State Department official reported that Shultz and Shareh both support a stronger central government in Lebanon and the continued presence of the United Nations’ Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and oppose violence against UNIFIL. Israel has blamed Arab guerrilla factions backed by Iran and Syria for attacks against the peacekeeping force.

Links to Terrorism

Shultz was reported to have taken up with Shareh alleged Syrian links to Arab terrorism throughout the world, and the issue is expected to be discussed further in a meeting between the foreign minister and the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Mideast affairs, Richard W. Murphy.

Shultz also received a Syrian promise of cooperation in seeking the release of U.S. and French hostages held by Muslim militants in Lebanon, the official said.

Gulf state fears of Iranian aggression were fed by a belligerent speech from Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati in the General Assembly on Wednesday.

“We believe that the war is approaching its end with the punishment of the aggressor regime of Iraq,” Velayati said. “Iraq is responsible for the war both for its initiation and continuation. Of course, those who have continued their support to Iraq are also accomplices of the Iraqi regime.”

Iraq, which has accused Iran of refusing to accept negotiation, Wednesday joined with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, North Yemen, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco in requesting an urgent Security Council meeting to enforce the council’s earlier demand for a cessation of the war. Iraqi Ambassador Esmat Kittany said that most of the Arab nations will speak in support of the request at a session expected to begin Friday.