Peace Prospects Doubtful, Iranian President Warns

MANAMA, Bahrain — Iranian President Ali Khamenei today said prospects for ending the 8-year-old war with Iraq have become “extremely doubtful” because of Baghdad’s demand that direct talks be held before calling a cease-fire.

Tehran Radio quoted Khamenei as saying at a rally in Ahwaz, in southwestern Iran, that Iraq’s “attitude during the past two weeks, its obstructionist behavior . . . and its excuses have cast doubts on the prospects of achieving peace” through the United Nations.

Iran on July 17 dropped its demand that Iraq be named the aggressor in the war, and accepted U.N. Security Council Resolution 598 calling for a cease-fire. But in the interim, Iraq launched an offensive across the Iranian border and has insisted on direct talks with Iran at the United Nations before accepting a cease-fire.

“It is not acceptable to us that Iraq should come and state a certain condition such as direct negotiations. . . . If Iraq sets down preconditions, we too shall set down a condition, and ours will be what we have stated before, the punishment of the aggressor,” he said.

“In the light of this situation, I look at the prospect of achieving peace and an end to the war in the context of Resolution 598 as extremely doubtful and suspect,” Khamenei said.

The statement coincided with talks in New York mediated by U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar aimed at ending the war, which has claimed about 1 million casualties since it began in September, 1980.

Khamenei’s remarks today indicated that Iran was losing its patience with the pace of the discussions at the United Nations.

He was speaking at a rally organized so the Iranian people could “renew their allegiance” to their spiritual leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, after his acceptance July 17 of the U.N. resolution.

Iranian media reports said millions of people rallied across Iran today in support of Khomeini. The official Islamic Republic News Agency compared the gatherings to the demonstrations that swept Iran when Khomeini returned from exile on Feb. 1, 1979, after the overthrow of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.