THE WAR OF WORDS

The Iraqi Statement:

IRAQI PULLOUT. “To achieve a dignified and acceptable political settlement, the Revolutionary Command Council has decided to accept U.N. Security Council Resolution 660 of 1990, including the clause related to Iraqi withdrawal. . . .”

CEASE-FIRE. The council’s statement “should be regarded as a guarantee from Iraq and coupled with an immediate and comprehensive cessation of all land, air and sea military operations.”

ALLIED WITHDRAWAL. Iraq’s withdrawal from Kuwait “must be coupled” with the withdrawal from the region of U.S. and all other “forces, weapons and equipment” that converged on it after Aug. 2.

THE ISRAEL ISSUE. “The (Iraqi) withdrawal should be linked to an Israeli pullout from occupied Palestine and other Arab territories in the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanon in accordance with U.N. Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Should Israel resist, the Security Council is to apply against Israel the same measures applied against Iraq.”

OTHER CONDITIONS:

The U.N. Security Council must abrogate Resolutions 660, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670, 674, 677, 678 and suspend all boycott and embargo decisions against Iraq.

Any future political arrangement in Kuwait must be based on popular wish, not on restoration of the ruling family.

All debts owed to Gulf and foreign countries by Iraq be forgiven.

All countries participating or financing the war against Iraq undertake to rebuild Iraq. President Bush:

‘CRUEL HOAX.’ “When I first heard that statement, I must say I was happy that Saddam Hussein had seemed to realize that he must now withdraw unconditionally from Kuwait, in keeping with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Regrettably, the Iraq statement now appears to be a cruel hoax, dashing the hopes of the people in Iraq, and indeed, around the world.”

THE CONDITIONS. “Not only was the Iraq statement full of unacceptable old conditions, but Saddam Hussein has added several new conditions. And we’ve been in touch with members of the coalition, and they recognize that there is nothing new here, with the possible exception of recognizing for the first time that Iraq must leave Kuwait.”

FORCE SADDAM OUT. “But there’s another way for the bloodshed to stop, and that is for the Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands, to force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside, and to comply with the United Nations resolutions, and then rejoin the family of peace-loving nations.” Marine Brig. Gen. Richard I. Neal:

THE MISSION. “I think the President made it abundantly clear that our mission remains fundamentally the same. . . . Until we’re notified by higher authority, we’re going to continue to execute our mission.”

RESPONSE TO RETREAT? “I think our response would be . . . until our mission has been changed by the national command authority, we’re going to execute our plan to the letter.”