Iran, Iraq Swap Charges but Truce Appears to Be Holding

Iraqi and Iranian forces faced off across the central sector of their war front and traded charges of truce violations Tuesday, but a U.N.-mediated cease-fire appeared to be holding on its fourth day.

Iraq said its troops have taken “required measures” to end a cease-fire violation by Iranian forces who had advanced toward Iraqi positions on the central front.

An Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman said the measures, which he did not specify, were taken after U.N. truce observers were unable to persuade the Iranians to withdraw to their original positions.

Iraq had earlier threatened to attack the Iranian troops if they did not withdraw by midday Tuesday.

Troop Movement Charged

Iran, sending an urgent message to U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, said Iraq had massed troops in the area in preparation for an attack.

The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Brig. Gen. Asghar Jamali, Iran’s liaison with the U.N. observers, as saying an Iraqi armored brigade advanced up to 2 1/2 miles toward Iranian positions west of the Doveyrich River on the central front. He said Iranians remained in their positions and stopped the Iraqis from advancing further, but neither side fired a shot.

The Yugoslav commander of the U.N. peacekeeping unit, Maj. Gen. Slavko Jovic, told a Tehran news conference that difficulties have arisen.

“Since the cease-fire took effect, we have had problems which we have tried to solve with the help of both sides,” Iranian television quoted Jovic as saying.

The general said his troops and support staff now have 750 people divided equally between Iran and Iraq.

“The first stage--that is, the cease-fire--has gone well, and the pullback to international borders will happen later,” the television quoted him as saying.

A withdrawal to international borders is one of the provisions of Security Council Resolution 598, which will provide the basis for direct peace talks starting in Geneva on Thursday.

Meanwhile, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, a team of U.N. experts released a report saying Iraq had used mustard gas against Iranian civilians earlier this month.

The report said Iraqi aircraft had dropped bombs containing chemical agents near the town of Oshnoviyeh on Aug. 2, while Perez de Cuellar was trying to arrange a cease-fire in the eight-year war.