[chubot]

I wasn't aware of that history either -- this article gives more color:

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/world/middleeast/20archiv...

The Iraqi invasion happened in August 1990, and America's response was in January/February 1991.

It sounds like Saddam changed his tune because he saw the buildup of American forces over that time period. If there was no threat then he probably wouldn't have agreed to any settlement.

With the ground war just days away, Mr. Gorbachev mounted a peacemaking effort. Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi foreign minister, arrived in Moscow on Feb. 21. Later that day, Mr. Gorbachev told Mr. Bush in a phone call that he sensed a “serious shift” in Iraq’s position, according to a transcript in the Bush Library.