ABROAD

BAGHDAD Going on Seven The war between Iran and Iraq—the Persian Gulf War—is entering its sventh year without any substantial prospect of peace. It is true that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein recently addressed an open letter to the Iranian government calling for an “honorable peace” and warning of a new Iraqi offensive otherwise. But the Iranian leadership is not at all ready for peace on such “equal” terms as Iraq proposes. It will never, according to foreign observers, agree to any settlement that does not “punish” Baghdad for having started the war, and that does not include an admission by Baghdad that it is materially and morally responsible for any damage sustained by Iran. In fact, Iranian leaders are talking of a stepped-up campaign of their own at the end of this year. One of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s delegates to the national defense council said recently that the period of late 1986 through March 1987 will be “a crucial moment in the history of Islam, the region, and the world.” Economic difficulties intensified by the fall in world oil prices only make appeals for greater mobilization the more urgent to the Iranians, who would like to finish off the war before another year goes by. Iraq has a much smaller population than its enemy, but it is heavily armed by the Soviet Union and by France, and presumably could go on resisting the pin-point attacks that the Iranian general staff has been devising against it. But Iraqi morale is low, and the ranks of the army have been seriously depleted, even though Iraq’s casualty figures are lower than Iran’s. In the war of attrition that this conflict has become, Iran continues to have the advantage of the big battalions.

ROME Puffs and Huffs In Italy—where traditionally smoking is more freely indulged in than in some other countries—the cigarette has at last come under attack. A new bill, approved by the cabinet, would severely restrict smoking in public places and require cigarette packages to carry health warnings. If the bill is passed in parliament, smoking will become illegal in public offices, schools, hospitals, and public transport, including domestic flights. Smoking would also be outlawed in theaters, in museums, and in office buildings and factories that do not have air conditioning or other suitable ventilation. Restaurants and bars would be required to set up restricted areas for smokers as they have in parts of the United States. The Italian government stands to lose a large slice of the six trillion lire ($4.2 billion) it collects annually in cigarette taxes.

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BAGHDAD Going on Seven The war between Iran and Iraq—the Persian Gulf War—is entering its sventh year without any substantial prospect of peace. It is true that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein recently addressed an open letter to the Iranian government calling for an “honorable peace” and warning of a new Iraqi offensive otherwise. But the Iranian leadership is not at all ready for peace on such “equal” terms as Iraq proposes. It will never, according to foreign observers, agree to any settlement that does not “punish” Baghdad for having started the war, and that does not include an admission by Baghdad that it is materially and morally responsible for any damage sustained by Iran. In fact, Iranian leaders are talking of a stepped-up campaign of their own at the end of this year. One of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s delegates to the national defense council said recently that the period of late 1986 through March 1987 will be “a crucial moment in the history of Islam, the region, and the world.” Economic difficulties intensified by the fall in world oil prices only make appeals for greater mobilization the more urgent to the Iranians, who would like to finish off the war before another year goes by. Iraq has a much smaller population than its enemy, but it is heavily armed by the Soviet Union and by France, and presumably could go on resisting the pin-point attacks that the Iranian general staff has been devising against it. But Iraqi morale is low, and the ranks of the army have been seriously depleted, even though Iraq’s casualty figures are lower than Iran’s. In the war of attrition that this conflict has become, Iran continues to have the advantage of the big battalions.

ROME Puffs and Huffs In Italy—where traditionally smoking is more freely indulged in than in some other countries—the cigarette has at last come under attack. A new bill, approved by the cabinet, would severely restrict smoking in public places and require cigarette packages to carry health warnings. If the bill is passed in parliament, smoking will become illegal in public offices, schools, hospitals, and public transport, including domestic flights. Smoking would also be outlawed in theaters, in museums, and in office buildings and factories that do not have air conditioning or other suitable ventilation. Restaurants and bars would be required to set up restricted areas for smokers as they have in parts of the United States. The Italian government stands to lose a large slice of the six trillion lire ($4.2 billion) it collects annually in cigarette taxes.