World Notes the Gulf

In the shops of Baghdad, Iraq's capital, American cigarettes and Turkish beer are once again on sale. To Iraqi citizens, who watched the fifth anniversary of the war with Iran pass this week, the availability of products from abroad provided an unaccustomed sense of well-being. Another good omen is the imminent opening of a linkup with a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, which will permit Iraq to step up its vital oil exports by as much as 50%. The Iraqi government is even upbeat about the military situation. Says Information Minister Latif Nasif Jasim: "Our morale is excellent. Our supply lines are short. We have the clear military advantage." But behind the official optimism lies a palpable weariness with a war that has already taken the lives of perhaps 200,000 Iraqis and Iranians. Last week sporadic shelling continued along the border, and shipping sources said Iraqi planes had set fires at Iran's Kharg Island oil facility. Meanwhile, the latest peace effort by leaders of several Islamic nations collapsed after Iran reiterated its demand that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein be ousted. Iraq wants peace, but not at that price.