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Will Peace Have a Chance ?
Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz is to have talks with the Soviet leadership today. This follows the surprise announcement by Iraq Friday last that it was willing to withdraw from Kuwait if certain conditions were met. This possibility for a negotiated solution to the Gulf crisis followed hectic diplomatic activities by the Soviets and the Iranian government. President Bush has already termed the offer as a "cruel hoax". However many world leaders do not consider it to be so. The offer made by Iraq does not comply with UN resolution 660 which calls for an unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait. However we still consider the Iraqi move to be one in the right direction. It is an opening in peace, that all parties should work together to make real.
In this context the meeting between Tariq Aziz and the Soviets are extremely important. Iraq must have realised by now that by itself this offer is unlikely to make any headway. The conditions will have to be significantly modified, if not withdrawn altogether. The talks are likely to prove useless without flexibility from the Iraqi side.
An element of understanding must also be forthcoming from the side of the allies. For them to remain rigid will only help the hardliners in this war to win the day. The call by President Bush for the overthrow of Saddam further complicates the issue. In this regard President Bush may be well advised to let the Iraqi people decide on the fate of their present leader or of those who are to come in the future.
As the Soviet envoy said, this offer by Iraq should not be brushed aside out of hand. A few points have been made through the few weeks of war we have had. It is now clear that the Allied force under US leadership is willing to go all the way to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. Whatever doubts Saddam may have had about US's resolve should have been removed by now. On the other hand the US must have also realised that Saddam and his Iraqi troops have not been the piece of cake that they had given the world to understand. The Iraqis have fought bravely and had held their own auite remarkably. Finally neither party has any oubt as to tremendous cost, .especially in human terms, that the ground offensive will cost on both sides. In other words the logic of a negotiated settlement to the Gulf war is strong ana sound. Time must be given to allow it to come to fruition.
The postponement of the Allied ground offensive, at the request of the Soviets, is a very welcome development. Though many suspect that Saddam is likely to use the time so gained to further strengthen his position for an ultimate ground battle. We. however, do not believe so. Baghdad has suffered enormously and its overture for peace appears to us to be genuine and sincere. However an honourable way must be found so that Iraq can withdraw with some of its crushed dignity mollified. The temptation on the part of Allied may be to punish Saddam. But the wise thing to do would be to make overtures to win the goodwill of the Iraqi people, which may as yet be a while in coming given the sufferings they have undergone due to the relentless bombing by the Allies. Even then the gesture will have a meaning and any move to spare the Iraqis any further agony will make a contribution, however modest, in any post-war reconciliation which is bound to come about.
All eyes are now focussed on Moscow where talks are to be held. We urge the Iraqi Foreign Minister to make realistic proposals and not to turn this into another rhetoric-filled exchange of well-known positions. We hope the Soviets will be able to use their considerable diplomatic skills to act as faithful go-between and help turn this opening into real negotiations for peace.