Iran military chief favors cease-fire in Gulf war

Iran's armed forces chief Monday said he favored a brief cease-fire in the war against Iraq to allow invading forces to withdraw. Gen. Valiollah Fallahi, deputy commander of the Joint Staff Command -- President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr is ex-officio commander -- for the first time raised the possibility in an interview with the official Pars news agency that Iran might agree to a cease-fire while Iraqi troops are inside its borders.

"I believe that this issue needs a very short stage of cease-fire and then, immediately and without any conditions, the aggressor should leave our territory ," he said.