Source : Tehran Times
TEHRAN – An Iranian Foreign Ministry official has described the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syria’s foreign- sponsored militants a “great concern for the international community” and called on the United Nations to send a team to Syria to investigate the matter.
Mohammad-Mehdi Akhondzadeh, the Iranian deputy foreign minister, made the remarks during a meeting with the chairman of the third Review Conference of the States Parties of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in The Hague on Monday.
The Syrian government had accused rebel forces of using chemical weapons against civilians in the village of Khan al-Assal in the northern province of Aleppo on March 19. Syrian media outlets reported that at least 25 people were killed and over 100 injured in the attack.
On April 8, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speaking in The Hague, said that an advance team was in Cyprus, ready to go to Syria within 24 hours to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons there.
However, on Monday the Syrian government rejected the UN inspection mission, saying, “Syria cannot accept such maneuvers on the part of the UN secretariat general, bearing in mind the negative role that it played in Iraq… which cleared the way to the American invasion” of that country in 2003.
It said the UN wants “additional investigations which might allow the UN mission to spread all over the Syrian territories, and this contradicts the Syrian request from the UN and indicates to the presence of hidden intentions at the states which have sought to add those investigations as this constitutes a violation of the Syrian sovereignty”.
The Syrian government “regretted” that the UN chief had “given in to pressure from states known for their support of the bloodshed” in Syria.
Deadline missed on destroying chemical weapons
Akhondzadeh also expressed regret over the fact that many countries that possess chemical weapons have not met the deadline, designated in the Chemical Weapons Convention, to destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he emphasized the necessity of implementing a mechanism in regard to those countries that create obstacles in the way of transferring chemical technology meant for peaceful purposes.
MT/GJ
