Security Council OKs Gulf Mission of Perez de Cuellar : His Visit Will Seek Iran’s Answer on U.N. Cease-Fire Plan

The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a Persian Gulf peace mission by Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and the Reagan Administration emphasized that the mission should be limited solely to obtaining Iran’s definitive answer to a cease-fire proposal in the 7-year-old Iran-Iraq War.

Perez de Cuellar emerged from a closed-door meeting of the 15-nation council at the world organization’s New York headquarters to report that he would visit Tehran within the next two weeks and that he hopes that his trip will help resolve the impasse over the cease-fire plan.

The Security Council laid down the cease-fire demand in a resolution adopted July 20. Iraq has responded favorably to the resolution, but Iran has so far refused to give a direct answer.

“I can assure you that in my discussions with the Iranians, they have told me that they are prepared to discuss with me the implementation of the (July 20) resolution,” Perez de Cuellar told reporters.

Vernon A. Walters, the American ambassador to the United Nations, pronounced himself “very satisfied” with the council’s Friday action, but he declared that Perez de Cuellar should not be “going there (Iran) to negotiate the terms of that resolution.”

‘A Definitive Response’

The council’s president, James Victor Gbeho of Ghana, echoed that sentiment, saying “It is the understanding of the council members that he will elicit from the Islamic Republic of Iran a definitive and unambiguous response to the (cease-fire) resolution.”

However, Perez de Cuellar did not deal with that point directly when he talked to reporters, and Amir Zamani, spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations, told the Associated Press “all aspects of the war, including Resolution 598, will be discussed.”

A key sticking point has been a demand by Iran that the United Nations brand Iraq as the aggressor in the war.

U.S. officials have said that they will wait until Perez de Cuellar returns from Tehran before deciding whether to call for a global arms embargo against Iran. The United States has said such U.N. sanctions should be imposed if Iran does not accept a cease-fire.

Although Iran, which on Wednesday invited Perez de Cuellar to come to Tehran, suggested he visit there between Sept. 10-13, the U.N. chief said Friday that he may not be able to go until the following week because two of his key staff members are tied up in negotiations over the war in Afghanistan.

In the meantime, U.N. officials said, they hope to arrange a temporary cease-fire between Iran and Iraq to be in effect during the time Perez de Cuellar is visiting in the region.

“We don’t want him to be flying into Tehran and have an attack take place. . . , “ said one official, who asked not to be identified by name.