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Baghdad looking for a face-saving deal, diplomats say

Aziz takes home Gorbachev plan
DHAHRAN. Feb 18 : Soviet President Mikheil Gorbachev on Monday gave Iraq's Foreign Minister a peace proposal re qulrlng unconditional Iraq) withdrawal from Kuwait, as allied troops prepared for a desert showdown, report agencies.
'President Gorbachev proposed a specific plan of action to settle the conflict, by political means. Vitaly Ignatenko told a news conference. The Ipaqi Foreign Minister held 3 hours of talks with Soviet leader Gorbachev tn Moacow.
He said Aziz was leaving for Baghdad to report to President Saddam Hussein on the move. He gave no details.
It (the plan) is now tn the diplomatic punch of Tareq Aztz on board a Soviet aircraft to Iraq," Ignatenko said. We expect a reply without delay to these proposals.
Ignatenko, speaking after Gorbachev and Aziz met tn the Kremlin, said the plan envisaged political measures which he believed were understood by the Iraqi side
The plan, the first set of concrete Soviet proposals pul forward since the war started a month ago. had been brought to the attention of the leaders
of nations allied against Iraq, including US President George Bush, he said.
Ignatenko said Gorbachev's plan was "fully in line with the Soviet position that there should be an unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait."
Tareq Aziz left Moscow Monday after holding talks on the Gulf war with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and other senior officials, the official Tass news agency said.
Aziz arrived in Moscow late Sunday night on a Soviet Aeroflot jetliner from Iran. He was forced to travel over land from Baghdad to the Iranian capital of Tehran because the allies would not guarantee him safe passage through the air.
En route to Moscow. Aziz said Iraq had made Its withdrawal offer to expose the "sinister intentions" of the United States and its allies. Iranian radio reported In Tehran. "They have today proved that they do not seek to defend international law but to depky force."
The radio also quoted Aziz as saying.‘If the US rejects our offer. . we would have no alternative but to continue our struggle."
The UN Security Council has insisted on Iraq's unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait
The Moscow visit came two days after a conditional Iraqi offer to pull out of the Gulf Emirate, comprising demands that Israel withdraw from occupied Arab territories and that the US-led coalition pay war reparations and remove its troops from the Middle East.
The Iraqi proposal was rejected by the United States and its allies and US President Bush dismissed it as a "cruel hoax."
Moscow has said that it hoped the Iraqi proposal was a starting point towards peace and not part of a sterile propaganda campaign, but US Secretary of State James Baker said on Sunday he held out little hope for the Soviet—Iraqi
Mr Aziz, who arrived in Moscow aboard a spectai Aeroflot flight from Tehran, was met at the airport by Soviet Foreign Minister Alexander Bessmertnykh. They later held a meeting
US reaction
Meanwhile, the White House reacted cautiously Monday to a Gulf war peace plan that emerged from Soviet-Iraq talks, and said it would continue the war effort.
Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said US officials had yet to hear from the Soviet Union on the results of talks Monday between Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz.
"I don’t think we have enough Information to respond." Fitzwater said, adding: "All of our hopes at this point are on the conflict in the air and on the ground In terms of pushing Iraq out of Kuwait."
Bush himself declined comment on the Soviet plan. "Can't talk about that," he said after a 65—minute walk on the beach at Kennebunkport, where he was spending a long holiday weekend. "Need to get a little more Information."
Iranian President All Akba. Hashemi Rafsanjani said Monday there was "the bright prospect" of a solution to the Gulf war following an Iraqi response to his peace proposals.
Tehran radio quoted Rafsanjani as telling the visiting Burkina Faso Foreign Minister, Prosper Vokoumaa that Iraq has responded pool lively to the proposals to leave Kuwait
"Iraq has expressed readiness to withdraw from Kuwait and concentrated efforts should, continue with the cooperation of the other Islamic countries until the forces fighting Iraq also show their good will."the radio quoted Rafsanjani as saying.
Rafsanjani has played a key role tn efforts to end the war and sent peace proposals to Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz met his Iranian counterpart All Akbar Vetayati. in Tehran on Sunday on his wav to Moscow for talks with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev seen as a last chance to avert a massive ground war In the Gulf.
Tariq Aztz will confer with Iranian officials an his way home from his crucial Gulf war talks Monday in Moscow. Iran's Foreign Minister said
Some Arab diplomata in Moscow believe Baghdad may be looking to the Soviet Union and lean for a fate savine deal after weeks of bombardment which US commanders say has already knocked out about per cent of Iraqi armour and put the air forec out of action.