July 22, 1988

Gulf War Policy Paying Off

The eventual collapse of Iran was expected, yet its sudden surrender this week surprised its war enemy Iraq, other Mideast nations, and the United States.

Iran signaled its desire to stop fighting by accepting United Nations Resolution 598 calling for a cease fire and negotiations to settle the eight-year war. The UN plea for cessation of hostilities was adopted exactly a year ago. Until now, however, Iran refused to comply until Iraq was declared the aggressor.

Iraq did, indeed, fire the first shot, but history will have to determine the real aggressor. Iraq is comprised of 55 percent Shiite Moslems, 45 per-cent Sunni Moslems, and 5 percent Christians. Iran is entirely Shiite, the fundamentalist faction; and" Ayatollah Khomeini attempted to exhort the. Iraq majority to religious revolution.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, warned Khomeini to stop agitating the local Shiite to revolt or he would attack the source of interference. Khomeini didn't, and Hussein did.

Surrender is bitter gall for 88-year-old Supreme Leader Khomeini. He. is reported to have declared that giving in was "like deadly poison." Only a few weeks ago he transferred his personal command of the armed forces to Hashemi Rafsanjani, speaker of the Iranian parliament.

Rafsanjani declares, "This decision (to accept UN 598) is based on many reasons, but since Imam (holy) Khomeini is aware of many political and military secrets, he cannot give more explanations at the moment."

It is no secret that the Iranian military has exhausted itself with futile human-wave attacks against superior Iraqi weaponry. It is estimated that a million men have died in the fighting.

The turning point came in the battle for Basara last year when young Iranian boys were sent into no-man's land to trigger land mines ahead of the last contingent of militia. This senseless, pre-meditated slaughter shocked the Iranians and broke their spirit. Iran retreated on all fronts.

The most significant reason given by Rafsanjani for accepting a truce was that it was forced by "opponents in the country" who accused the leadership of being "obstinate" in refusing to negotiate.

It, now is evident that Col. Oliver North and his Iran-Contra associates had real reason to believe they had made contact with Iranian moderates who could conclude a peace with both Iraq and the United States. Unfortunately the sensitive approach was scuttled by premature exposure in a Lebanese news magazine.

Nevertheless, the U.S. kept pressure on Iran by sending in the Navy to protect shipping to and from Kuwait, Iraq's lifeline to the west. The accidental downing of an Iranian airliner over a combat area recently may have been the final blow. The big concern for Americans, is the fate of nine hostages held by Holy war Iranians in Lebanon.

Iraq is afraid the Iranians have accepted a cease-fire only to regroup for another big offensive. Consequently the Iraq air force continues to bomb Iranian industry.

No one wants the Persian Gulf War to continue one more minute. Nonetheless, Iran must be hurt until it abandons its terrorist activities and returns the last hostages unharmed or until a United Nation peace keeping force arrives.

U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf has been correct and effective. We must not waver now that the policy is starting to pay off.

Author: Lindsey Williams