The World - News from April 17, 1987

Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir V. Petrovsky arrived in Kuwait and said he was carrying proposals on securing maritime navigation in the Persian Gulf and ending the 6 1/2-year-old Iran-Iraq War. Petrovsky told reporters that Soviet officials are ready to hold consultations with “concerned countries” on carrying out the proposals, which he did not reveal. The Soviet Union earlier announced it would lease three tankers to Kuwait to help it ship crude oil through the Gulf. The Soviet-flag tankers could be escorted by Soviet warships to protect against possible attacks by Iran. Kuwait, which has a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union, has not confirmed the report.