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News stories from Saturday October 4, 1980
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Iraq announced a unilateral ceasefire scheduled to become effective at dawn tomorrow. According to General Adnan, the Minister of Defense for Iraq, the halt in the war would continue as long as the Iranians do not resume the shooting. However, it appeared unlikely that Iran would accept the cease-fire offer.
Iranian officials claimed victory over Iraq in several confrontations along a 500-mile battle front, though Iraq disputed the outcomes. According to President Bani-Sadr, Iranian forces regained full control of the port city of Khurramshahr after 48 hours of fighting. Later, Ayatollah Khomeini said one objective of the war was to punish the Baath Party regime in Iraq for its crimes. [New York Times]
- Fighting continued in Khurramshahr with neither the Iraqi nor the Iranian forces having gained full control of the Iranian port city. Khurramshahr at one time handled a major segment of Iran's dry cargo imports, but has suffered major damages during the two weeks of fighting. [New York Times]
- Ronald Reagan could win the election were it held now, according to interviews with politicians and a spot check of polls in all 50 states. Mr. Reagan is the frontrunner in 29 states, representing 312 electoral votes. Mr. Carter leads in 12 states and the District of Columbia, which would yield 126 electoral votes. John Anderson, the independent candidate, does not hold a clear lead in any state. [New York Times]
- A terrorist bomb attack drew reactions from several quarters in the aftermath of the incident that took three lives and caused injuries to 20 others when a bomb exploded Friday night outside a Jewish temple in Paris. Protest demonstrations, called by Jewish organizations as well as by civic groups and labor organizations, attracted thousands of participants. [New York Times]
- Political uncertainty exists in Poland where the Communist Party Central Committee opened a long-awaited meeting that is expected to result in further changes in the 12-member Politburo. The new party leader, Stanislaw Kania, told delegates that his predecessor, Edward Gierek, had held too much power, leading to "deformations" in party policy. [New York Times]
- The 10-year record of Anwar Sadat as the sole ruler of Egypt is one of mixed success. He has transformed the country from the Soviet Union's model client into the strongest Arab ally of the United States and has introduced cautious democratic forms that make Egypt one of the freest countries in the Arab world. However, on the domestic front he has been unable to solve chronic economic problems. [New York Times]
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