Islam conference starts on a quarrelsome note

The Islamic conference got off to a stormy start with angry exchanges between Iran and Iraq over responsibility for the continuing bloodshed in the 23 -month-old Gulf war.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Sadun Hammadi, the outgoing president of the Islamic Conference Organization that is holding its annual meeting here, began the row when he accused Iran of starting the war. Officials from about 40 delegations went into committee sessions Monday to discuss the Gulf war, the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, and the Lebanon crisis.