U.N. chief to end Gulf trip empty-handed?

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 10

U.N. chief to end Gulf trip empty-handed?

NZPA-Reuter Bagdad The United Nations Secretary-General, Javier Perez de Cuellar, ends his Gulf peace mission today, conferring again with Iraqi leaders, and United Nations sources hinted that he would leave the region empty-handed.

A United Nations official told reporters that Mr Perez de Cuellar, in seeking Iran’s acceptance of a cease-fire call, had detected some movement in the Teheran Government’s position, but perhaps not. enough to achieve a truce in hostilities.

Mr Perez de Cuellar flew to Bagdad on Sunday after a week-end in

Teheran sounding out the Iranian Government. President Saddam Hussein and the Foreign Minister, Tariq Aziz, urged the United Nations chief on Monday to “inform the Security Council to go ahead” with the second phase of its July 20 resolution demanding sanctions against Iran for rejecting a cease-fire call.

The issue of who started the seven-year-old war has been the main hurdle to Mr Perez de Cuellar’s mission as both sides accuse each other of. being the aggressor.

President Hussein told him during a 75-minute meeting, “All facts prove, by tangible evidence, that

the Iranian regime started aggression and war.”

President Ali Khamenei suggested to Mr Perez de Cuellar a trial of the aggressor similar to the Nuremberg Tribunal.

A United Nations official said of the talks in Teheran: “There seems to be certain movement — not maybe enough. But at least you can talk about things which a year ago you were not even able to discuss.”

Iraq accused Iran of shelling its southern port city of Basra as Mr Perez de Cuellar’s plane touched down in Bagdad on Sunday, but Monday’s war communique said the shellfire caused only pro-

perty damage. Iran claimed 17 civilians were killed or wounded by an Iraqi artillery bombardment of three towns on Monday, but Iraq denied the claim saying its troops had beaten back a light Iranian ground attack on the central war front late on Sunday. A Teheran military spokesman said Iran had launched no military operations, neither in the central sector nor anywhere else, during the Secretary-General’s visit to the region. Iran has neither accepted nor rejected the United Nations’ resolution.