Iranian general urges ceasefire

Press, 4 March 1981, Page 8

Iranian general urges ceasefire

NZPA-Reuter Teheran The Iranian Armed Forces • chief has held out the pros- . pect of a ceasefire in the ’ five-month war against kaq, > but on conditions . which Bagdad seems bound to reject, . Speaking apparently in response to a new offer by tie Iraqi President (Mr Sacldan Hussein) General Valiollai Fallahi said yesterday that he favoured a brief ceasefire to permit a full Iraqi withdrawal from Iranian ory“I believe this issue needs a very short stage of ceasefire and then immediately and without any conditions the aggressor should leave our territory,”. he told the official Pars news agency after conferring with the revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Khorrieiny. It was the first time Iran had admitted the. possibility of suspending hostilities before rather than after an Iraqi pull-out, but it seemed unlikely to tempt the Bagdad leadership. Earlier on Monday Mr Hussein told a high=level Islamic peace mission he was ready to stop .fighting within six hours of Iran’s agreement to a ceasefire. But he said his Army “will not withdraw to the Iraqi-Ira-nian border before negotiations take place to solve the conflict.” Several international attempts have failed to end the war and on Sunday President Abolhassan BaniSadr, of Iran, presented the 12-member Islamic delegation with stiff new conditions for peace. He said that apart from

an Iraqi withdrawal, Iran demanded that the aggressor in the war should be identified, condemned and punished. Only then would Iran sider making the minor territorial concessions to Iraq ■ agreed but never implemented under a 1975 Algiers accord. But the Pakistani Foreign. Minister (Mr Agh. Shahi) before leaving Teheran, appeared to rule out such a condemnation, saying it would reflect on the impartiality of the delegation. ‘ General Fallahi told. Pars tje Islamic mission' bad accepted the 1975 accord as a i basis, as had Ayatollah Kfomeiny. He said the only question- ; ' was whether the ceasefire or the' withdrawal should’ come firs*, and that he favoured staffing with a brief ceasefire.) A newspaper has ' repoted that two Islamic headsof State fell asleep for abound minutes as President lani-Sadr spoke to the delegajon on Iran’s condi-: tions fir peace. In a Special dispatch from Teheraij the pro-Iranian ‘ Leftist newspaper said Residents Zia-ul-Haq, ■ of Pakhtan, and Ahmed - Sekou ■ toure, of Guinea,; dozed of; during the meeting, whici lasted f?ur hours, “As-Satr” said Mr Bani< Sadr wat angry when he saw asleep, but used ; diplomacyand called for a prayer brew. As he i-alked out from the confeence room, Me Bani-Sadr hook hands only, with the Liberation Organisation chairman, Yasser Arafat.