Iraqi use of chemical weapons 'on many occasions' asserted by specialists.

Iraqi use of chemical weapons "on many occasions' asserted by specialists

A mission of medical specialists who investigated allegations of chemical weapons use in the Iran-Iraq conflict has unanimously concluded that Iraqi forces used chemical weapons against Iranian forces "on many occasions'. The agent used was mainly mustard gas, although on some occasions nerve gas was also employed, they said.

The mission expressed concern that the use of chemical weapons against Iranian forces was still continuing "in spite of appeals by the United Nations and on a more intense scale than used previously'.

The mission, which visited Iran from 26 February to 3 March, examined various sites, weapons components and numerous casualties. The results of two earlier missions--in 1984 and 1985--were used to support that investigation.

Chemical weapons had been used by Iraqi forces against Iranian forces during the February 1986 Iranian offensive into Iraqi territory, the specialists asserted.

Security Council members on 21 March (S/17932) strongly condemned Iraq's continued use of chemical weapons against Iran, and demanded the strict observance of the provisions of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. The Protocol calls for "the prohibition of the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of bacteriological methods of warfare'. Both Iran and Iraq are parties to it.

Council members also said they condemned the prolongation of the conflict which continued to take a heavy toll of human lives and to cause considerable material damage as well as to endanger peace and security in the region. They expressed concern over the risk of an extension of the conflict to other States in the region and called upon the two sides to respect the territorial integrity of all States, including those that were not parties to the hostilities.

They reaffirmed Council resolution 582 (1986), noting that Iraq had expressed its willingness to heed the call for the immediate cessation of hostilities. They stressed the urgent need for full compliance by both parties with that resolution, which would open the way for a prompt, comprehensive, just and honourable settlement of the conflict.

Council members noted that both parties had declared themselves ready to co-operate with the Secretary-General in his ongoing efforts to restore peace to the peoples of Iran and Iraq, and expressed their support for those efforts.

Said Rajaie-Khorassani, Permanent Representative of Iran, on 24 March said that the Council's "silence and negligence' were partly responsible for continued violations by Iraq of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. But however late, the Council's condemnation of Iraq was a positive step. The Council must be a more powerful guardian of the Protocol--stronger and more decisive.

Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar noted "with regret' the use of chemical weapons by Iraq, and recalled his repeated strong condemnations of the use of chemical weapons "wherever and whenever this may occur'. His comments formed part of his note to the Council in forwarding the report of the mission of medical specialists.

Mission members: The four specialists participating in the mission, and serving in individual capacities, had conducted the original investigations in March 1984. They are: Dr. Gustav Andersson, Head of the Analytical Chemistry Section of the Swedish National Defence Research Institute; Dr. Manuel Dominguez, Colonel, Army Medical Corps and specialist in atomic, biological and chemical weapons injuries, and Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain; Dr. Peter Dunn, Superintendent Scientist at the Materials Research Laboratories of Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organization; and Colonel Ulrich Imobersteg, Former Chief, Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons Defence, of the Swiss Defence Ministry.

Mission members interviewed government officials in Teheran to obtain information regarding the alleged use of chemical weapons, and had visited the war zone situated around Abadan to examine evidence of weapons used in alleged chemical attacks and to collect samples for chemical examination. Clinical examinations and interviews were conducted with a number of patients, including some Iraqi casualties, who had been allegedly exposed to chemical warfare agents.

Secretary-General: The Secretary-General said his "overriding motivation' was to pursue every avenue to promote an end to the "tragic' Iran-Iraq conflict. He urged immediate compliance by the parties concerned with Security Council resolution 582 (1986) which, among other things, had deplored the use of chemical weapons in the conflict. Both international security and humanitarian concerns could ultimately be met only by "the termination of this ruinous conflict through a comprehensive settlement'. He was ready "to assist in all endeavours to that end', and appealed to Iran and Iraq to respond to the United Nations efforts to bring peace to their peoples. He hoped other States would also cooperate in international efforts to open the way towards the restoration of peace between Iran and Iraq "on the basis of justice and honour'.

Iraqi view: In a 17 March letter (S/17922) to the Secretary-General, Iraq said Iran had rejected the Security Council's "unrestricted and unconditional jurisdiction' over conflicts that presented a threat to international peace and security, because it had made its acceptance of that jurisdiction "conditional and optional'. That Iranian position was aimed at "providing the practical requirements at the international diplomatic level to keep the international Organization occupied with dealing with some aspects of the war' so that Iran could continue "its declared policy of continuing the war for the sake of territorial expansion at the expense of Iraq and the States of the Arabian Gulf region'.

The only proper course for the Council was to place Iran "decisively before its commitments under the Charter:

Iran position: On 18 March, Iran, in a letter to the Secretary-General (S/17925), said it deeply appreciated the specialists' "well-balanced and fair report'. In view of the "clear and unambiguous evidence' of the use of chemical weapons by Iraq against Iran, the Council should condemn Iraq for its use of chemical weapons.