War between Iraq and Iran
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 29 January 1987 (27th Sitting) (see Doc. 5676, report of the Political Affairs Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 29 January 1987 (27th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Recalling its
Resolution 849 of 30 September l985 and the appended appeal adopted by the Political Affairs Committee on 13 January 1987, expressing horror at the death and suffering caused by a war which has now continued unabated for nearly six and a half years ;
2. Noting the declarations adopted on 26 January 1987 by the Twelve in Brussels and by the Islamic Summit in Kuwait ;
3. Accepting its own responsibility as a forum of which several heads of state and government from the Middle East region have availed themselves ;
4. Bearing in mind the report of the Political Affairs Committee (
Doc. 5676), based on both Iraqi and Iranian points of view, sought directly from the authorities concerned ;
5. Recalling the Council of Europe's special commitment to upholding human rights and to the fight against international terrorism, which violates the most elementary human rights, while undermining the indispensable solidarity among democracies ;
6. Perturbed over recent events in the conflict whereby the civilian populations become a target for the belligerents through bombing of urban centres, and over the production and use of chemical weapons made from products supplied by European industries ;
7. Reaffirming its belief that the superpowers share not only a common interest but a common responsibility to work for the settlement of a conflict in one of the world's most strategically sensitive areas, and regretting that the conflict has not been included in the agenda of their bilateral talks ;
8. Regretting that its own member states, even within the United Nations Security Council, remain divided in their approach to the search for an end to hostilities, and that Iran has up to the present rejected all resolutions adopted by the world body,
9. Invites both belligerents to co-operate with the Secretary General of the United Nations in his efforts to bring about peace in the region ;
10. Expresses its solidarity with Turkey in its efforts to seek a settlement through the Islamic Conference Organisation, and also in the burden resulting from the presence on its territory of hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking asylum to escape the war raging along its frontiers ;
11. Invites the governments of member states to take in asylum-seekers as far as they are able so that these people do not suffer twice over from war, political persecution or legal insecurity ;
12. Resolves to intensify contacts with the United States Congress and Administration, with the states of the Middle East and in particular the League of Arab States, with a view to working jointly towards securing an honourable and lasting negotiated settlement to the conflict, which should be pursued, among other things, by a total arms embargo, the breaking of which no consideration can justify, including especially all products fit for the production of chemical weapons, and to achieving full solidarity in the fight against hostage taking and other manifestations of international terrorism, engendered by tensions in the Gulf region ;
13. Urges governments and parliaments of member states to support all efforts to mediate, notably those of the United Nations Secretary General ;
14. Appeals to the governments of member states to co-operate unreservedly in the implementation of the United Nations resolutions for a settlement of the conflict between Iraq and Iran.
Appendix
Iraq-Iran war - Assembly appeal
The Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, meeting in Paris on13 January 1987, examined a report and draft resolution on the war between Iraq and Iran, which will be submitted to the plenary Assembly in Strasbourg, to be held from 26 to 30 January.
In the light of current developments in the war and the loss of a huge number of human lives - a tragedy unacceptable at the end of the twentieth century - the Political Affairs Committee instructed the President of the Assembly to appeal not only to the parties concerned but also, and in particular, to the international community to do everything possible to put a stop to the massacre and save the human lives threatened by the conflict, which has now lasted for over six years. Given the unacceptable situation, there is a need for urgent action by the United Nations Security Council and by all countries so that a total embargo on the sale of arms to the warring states is agreed on, a commission is appointed to investigate arms traffic to those states and ways are found of bringing the war to an end.
The committee is also fervently appealing to the two parties involved to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to fulfil its humanitarian function for the benefit of both prisoners and civilians.
Mankind cannot, and must not, be an impassive bystander in this atrocious war.
