Muskie meets Iraqi official to urge an end to fighting

US Secretary of State Edmund Muskie met for 40 minutes with Iraqi Foreign Minister Sadoun Hammadi to urge an end to the fighting in the Gulf and early negotiations without conditions. The meeting was at Mr. Muskie's request and was the highest-level encounter between representatives of the two countries since Iraq broke off diplomatic relations with the United States during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The secretary of state said he thought it useful to convey directly US concern about the fighting. He said Mr. Hammadi "restated his government's position -- of limited objectives -- which he has described to the public. We discussed these different points from different perspectives so that we could thoroughly understand each other." asked whether he would meet Iranian representatives, he said they had been informed that "I am available for that purpose."