The World - News from Jan. 30, 1989

Iraq said it has accepted a U.N. proposal to form a joint military commission aimed at strengthening its cease-fire with Iran. President Saddam Hussein told U.N. envoy Jan Eliasson during a meeting in Baghdad that Iraq agreed to the panel “to firmly establish the cease-fire,” the official Iraqi News Agency reported. The agency gave no further details, but diplomats called the move a breakthrough in U.N. efforts to revive stalled peace talks. An observer force from 24 countries has been monitoring the truce that halted the Persian Gulf War on Aug. 20. While no serious clashes have been reported, there is concern over the proximity of the opposing forces along the front line.