O 222345Z AUG 88
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 274007 
 
GENEVA FO DCM MARSH; HELSINKI FOR IO DAS SHAW SMITH 
 
FOLLOWING REPEAT SENT ACTION SECSTATE INFO USUN NEW YORK 
SECDEF WASHDC DIA WASHDC USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL AUGUST 17 
QUOTE 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 04483 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR 
TAGS: PREL MOPS UNSC IZ IR
SUBJECT: UNDERSTANDINGS RELATING TO CEASE-FIRE AND UN OBSERVERS 
 
¶1. CONFIDENTIAL ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
¶2. DURING AUGUST 17 MEETING (SEPTEL), UNDER SECRETARY 
ZAHAWI AND INTERNATIONAL-LAW EXPERT QAYSI HANDED TO 
AMBASSADOR AS HDAS N DRCSMENTS.  INCLUDED WERE TWO 
UNDATED "ANNEXES," ONE ENTITLED, "UNDERSTANDINGS 
RELATING TO THE CEASE-FIRE," AND THE OTHER, "ARRANGE- 
MENTS PERTAINING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT AND DEPLOYMENT 
OF UNITED NATIONS OBSERVERS."  THESE ANNEXES BEGIN 
AT A PAGE NUMBERED TEN, SUGGESTING THAT THEY FOLLOWED 
A DECLARATION OR AGREEMENT.  WE GUESS THAT THEY WERE 
PART OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL'S AUGUST 8 DECLARATION 
OF CEASE-FIRE. 
 
¶3. FOLLOWING IS VERBATIM TEXT OF THE TWO ANNEXES: 
 
                         ANNEX I 
        UNDERSTANDINGS RELATING TO THE CEASE-FIRE 
 
¶1. IRAN AND IRAQ HAVE AGREED TO ISSUE THE NECESSARY 
ORDERS OF ALL FORCES UNDER THEIR COMMAMNND CONL 
SCRUPULOUSLY TO OBSERVE THE CEASE-FIRE AND TO DIS- 
CONTINUE ALL MILITARY ACTIONS ON LAND, AT SEA AND IN 
THE AIR ON 20 AUGUST 1988 STARTING AT 0300 HOURS 
GMT.  IN THIS CONNECTION, THEY HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO 
ENSURE THAT SUCH ORDERS ARE ISSUED IN TIME TO REACH 
ALL CONCERNED BY THE TIME THE CEASE-FIRE COMES INTO 
FORCE. 
 
¶2. TO ENSURE THAT THE CEASE-FIRE HOLDS, IRAN AND 
IRAQ HAVE AGREED THAT: 
 
¶A. ON LAND: 
 
- UNITED NATIONS OBSERVERS, TOGETHER WITH THE PARTIES, 
WILL ESTABLISH AGREED CEASE-FIRE LINES ON THE BASIS OF 
FORWARD DEFENDED LOCALITIES HELD BY THE TWO SIDES 
D-DAY.  (THESE POSITIONS MAY BE ADJUSTED AS MAY BE 
AGREED, WHEN THE POSITIONS OF THE TWO SIDES ARE JUDGED 
TO BE DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.) 
 
- THE FOLLOWING WILL BE PROHIBITED: 
 
- FIRING ACROSS THE CEASE-FIRE LINES; 
 
- NEW WIRING AND MINING OF ANY POSITION; 
 
- REINFORCING EXISTING FORWARD DEFENDED LOCALITIES 
WITH MEN OR WARLIKE STORES AND EQUIPMENT; 
 
- REDEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS TO OTHER AND MORE ADVANTAGEOUS 
GROUND; 
 
- FORWARD MOVEMENT OF A BODY OF TROOPS, WARLIKE 
STORES AND EQUIPMENT, EXCEPT FOR RELIEF AND MAINTENANCE 
 
¶B. IN THE AIR: 
 
- NO AIRCRAFT OF EITHER SIDE WILL FLY CLOSER TO THE 
CEASE-FIRE LINE THAN A DISTANCE TO BE AGREED UPON, 
WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS THAT MAY BE AGREED UPON ON AN 
AD HOC BASIS. 
 
- IN ADDITION, NO ARMED OR RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT 
OF EITHER SIDE WILL BE PERMITTED CLOSER THAN 25 KM 
TO THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER. 
 
¶C. AT SEA: 
 
- EACH PARTY SHALL RESPECT THE PRINCIPLE OF FREEDOM 
OF NAVIGATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW; 
 
- ACCESS TO THE AIR-SPACE OUTSIDE THE LIMITS OF THE 
TERRITORIAL WATERS OF THE PARTIES SHALL BE LIMITED 
TO UNARMED AIRCRAFT, CIVILIAN HELICOPTERS AND TRANS- 
PORT PLANES INVOLVED IN CIVILIAN ACTIVITIES OF THE 
AREA; 
 
- IN ORDER TO AVOID INCIDENTS NEAR TO THE MOUTH OF 
THE SHATT-AL-ARAB, A UNITED NATIONS NAVAL PRESENCE 
WILL BE ESTABLISHED, IN AN AREA TO BE DEFINED, TO 
OBSERVE AND MONITOR THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PARTIES. 
 
¶3. IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE, THE PARTIES HAVE AGREED 
TO EXAMINE IN GOOD FAITH THE FOLLOWING FURTHER ARRANGE- 
MENTS WOCH WOULD COME INTO EFFECT FOLLOWING WITHDRAWAL 
OF FORCES TO THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER: 
 
- NEITHER PARTY WOULD DEPLOY ITS MILITARY FORCES 
CLOSER TO THE BORDER THAN A DISTANCE TO BE AGREED 
UPON; 
 
- EACH SIDE WOULD AGREE, ON A RECIPROCAL BASIS, TO 
OBSERVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS ON THE NUMBER AND CALIBER 
OF WEAPONS (ARTILLERY, MORTARS, TANKS AND ARMOURED 
VEHICLES) WHICTITXDED BY AN OFFICER IN THE RANK 
OF A MAJOR-GENERAL AND WILL BE ORGANIZED INTO A 
HEADQUARTERS OF ABOUT...OFFICERS ANDHTWO AYAKPVSOHF, 
EACH OF WHICH WILL BE ATTACHED TO THE ARMIES OF IRAN 
AND IRAQ IN THE FIELD.  EACH DETACHMENT, TO BE 
HEADED BY AN OFFICER IN THE RANK OF BRIGADIER, WILL 
CONSIST OF A HEADQUARTERS AND SMALL INTERNATIONAL 
TEAMS TO SUPERVISE THE WITHDRAWAL, MONITOR THE CEASE- 
FIRE, INVESTIGATE ON THE GROUND COMPLAINTS REGARDING 
VIOLATIONS OF THE CEASE-FIRE AND RESTORE THE CEASE- 
FIRE IN CASE OF BREACHES. 
 
¶4. GIVEN THE GREAT LENGTH OF THE LINE OF CONFONTA- 
TION AND IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE TASKS ASSIGNED TO 
THEM, UNITED NATIONS MILITARY PERSONNEL SHALL BE 
DEPLOYED IN GROUPS WHICH SHALL BE CO-LOCATDD WITH 
THE FORMATION HEADQUARTERS SUCH AS DIVISIONAL HEAD- 
QUARTERS OF THE ARMIES OF IRAN AND IRAQ IN THE FIELD. 
OBSERVERS SHALL BE SENT OUT FROM THESE GROUPS TO 
INVESTIGATE INCIDENTS, AS CIRCUMSTANCES MAY DEMAND. 
 
¶5. TO FACILITATE THE EXECUTION OF THE TASKS OF THE 
UNITED NATIONS OBSERVER GROUP, IRAN AND IRAQ HAVE 
UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE FOLLOWING: 
 
- FULL SUPPORT AND COOPERATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS 
OBSERVER GROUP AND THE SUPPORTING PERSONNEL; 
 
- PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING FREEDOM 
OF MOVEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, ACCOMMODATIN, 
TRANSPORTATION, AND OTHER FACILITIES THAT MAY BE 
NECESSARY FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THE OBSERVERS' 
TASKS.  (THE DETAILS OF THE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE 
DISCUSSED BETWEEN THE CHIEF MILITARY OBSERVER AND 
THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES OF IRAN AND IRAQ.) 
 
-  RELEVANT PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES PROVIDED FOR 
BY THE CONVENTION ON THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES 
OF THE UNITED NATIONS. 
 
-  THE SAFETY OF THE UNITED NATIONS OBSERVER GROUP 
AND ALL PERSONNEL ASSIGNED IN SUPPORT OF THE GROUP, 
WHILE OPERATING IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. 
 
¶6.  ADDITIONALLY, IRAN AND IRAQ HAVE AGREED TO: 
 
- PERMIT THE UNITED NATIONS OBSERVERS AND THE 
SUPPORTING STAFF TO BE ESTABLISHED IN THE AREA, 
NO LATER THAN TEN DAYS BEFORE D-DAY; 
 
- PROVIDE THE CHIEF MILITARY OBSERVER AND THE TWO 
DETACHMENT COMMANDERS WITH ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION 
REGARDING THE DEPLOYMENT OF THEIR FORCES IN THE 
FIELD, IN ORDER TO ASSIST THEM IN DETERMINING THE 
DEPLOYMENT OF THEIR PERSONNEL; AND 
 
- FACILITATE THE COMPLETION OF THE DEPLOYMENT OF 
THE MILITARY OBSERVERS AND THE SUPPORTING PERSONNEL 
WITH THEIR FORCES IN THE FIELD NO LATER THAN 24 
HOURS PRIOR TO D-DAY. 
END TEXT.  GLASPIE 
UNQUOTE 
 
 
WHITEHEAD