U.N. Negotiations Stall as Iraq Holds Out for Face-to-Face Talks

Peace talks aimed at ending the long-running Iran-Iraq War stalled Saturday at the end of the first week, with Iraq insisting on face-to-face negotiations and Iran still resisting, although less stubbornly than at first.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz, who met with Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar only three times during the week, did not appear at U.N. headquarters Saturday. Instead, he sent an aide to read a statement to the press while Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati was meeting for the fifth time with the secretary general.

The Iraqi statement charged that Iran, by refusing to engage in face-to-face talks, is seeking a “truce short of attaining the full objectives of Resolution 598,” the 1987 Security Council cease-fire measure calling for an end to the war. Ambassador Riyadh Qaysi, who was Baghdad’s envoy here from 1982 to 1985 and accompanied Aziz here last week, made it clear in answer to questions that Aziz has confined his discussions thus far to the question of direct or indirect talks.

No Substantive Talks

“Substantive discussions are yet to start,” Qaysi said. In response to a questioner who asked if Iraq will continue talking next week, he said, “We are engaged in solving this particular problem.”

Velayati made no comment after his session with Perez de Cuellar, but the secretary general earlier dismissed the differences over the format of the talks as a “procedural issue” that he said he hopes to get out of the way in time to enable him to set a cease-fire date by the middle of this week.

While Iraq has held fast to its demand for direct talks, Iran has eased its opposition during the past week. Velayati has repeatedly pledged his cooperation with the secretary general, who has stated his preference for direct talks.

Mohammed Mahallati, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, was asked Saturday if Iran might consent to face-to-face meetings once a timetable is agreed upon for the cease-fire, withdrawal of troops and exchange of prisoners, rather than holding out for completion of these objectives of Resolution 598. Mahallati refused to answer.

But given Iran’s weaker military position--apparently the reason that the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini finally ended his yearlong boycott of Resolution 598--the diplomatic consensus here is that Velayati will be the one to back off.

On the war front, according to wire service reports, Iraq said its forces withdrew from four Iranian towns Saturday as part of its planned pullout from all Iranian territory.

A military spokesman named the towns as Sar-e Pol-e Zahab, which is about 10 miles inside Iran, Qasr-e Shirin, Sumar and Amirabad.

He made no mention of fighting but said the withdrawal was completed by mid-afternoon.

Baghdad said Friday that Iraqi troops will leave all Iranian towns within 48 hours but gave no indication how much Iranian territory its forces still occupied.

Tehran Radio, however, termed the withdrawal a “retreat” following Iranian victories.

In its daily military communique in Baghdad, Iraq reported massive air strikes against Iranian positions all along the war front.

The communique said Iraqi jet fighters carried out 125 combat missions and its helicopter gunships flew 89 sorties, inflicting “considerable losses on the enemy in men, equipment and weapons.”