Iraq Agrees to Delay Call for Security Council Meeting

Iraq, which asked last night for an immediate meeting of the Security Council to take up Israel’s air strike at the French-built nuclear plant near Baghdad, has agreed to postpone the meeting until after the meeting of the Arab League Foreign Ministers in Baghdad tomorrow, a U.N. spokesman announced today.

He said the Security Council meeting could not be expected before Friday, noting that Iraqi Foreign Minister Saadoun Hammadi will have to return to New York from Baghdad to participate in the debate.

Meanwhile, the President of the Security Council, Porfiro Munoz Ledo of Mexico, was holding “individual consultations” with Security Council members in preparation for the debate on the Iraqi complaint. A UN spokesman said Ledo met today with the representatives of the U.S., the United Kingdom and France.

Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, who issued a statement last night condemning the Israeli attack on the Iraqi nuclear facility and charged that it was “in clear contravention of international law”, reiterated his criticism of Israel at a press conference in Tokyo today. His spokesman said that Waldheim was in contact with the President of the Security Council regarding a meeting to deal with the Israeli raid and that it is possible he would cut short his trip in order to attend the Security Council meeting. But Waldheim has not yet decided, the spokesman said.

A spokesman for Waldheim said here last night that “Upon hearing of the confirmation of the report of the Israeli air strike on Iraq’s nuclear facility, the Secretary General expressed his deep concern at this action which is in clear contravention of international law and must be condemned.

Such an action has to be viewed with the utmost seriousness, not only in itself but as regards its possible consequences for international peace and security,” Waldheim’s spokesman said.