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Preparatory Commission for the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
PC-IV/8
23 September 1993
Original: ENGLISH
Fourth session
(27 September- 1 October 1993)
LETTER DATED 23 SEPTEMBER 1993 FROM THE AMBASSADOR OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ADDRESSED TO THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE PREPARATORY COMMISSION FOR THE OPCW
In recent days the world community was witness to yet another action committed by the US Administration in contravention to accepted rules of international law. The American authorities through fabricating unsubstantiated allegation about the content of the Chinese cargo ship Yin He which was destined for Iran, claimed that the ship was carrying chemicals: thiodiglycol and thionyl chloride used for fabrication of chemical weapons agents. The ship was in fact carrying nothing but some stationary and machpine parts to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Contrary to the principles governing international relations, the United States legitimised the search of a cargo vessel in international waters and in explicit violation of international free trade and free navigation, tried to search the cargo vessel. The search of the Yin He in the third country, after one month surveillance of the ship, revealed how untrue was the American propaganda campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran. But what is most disturbing for the world community is the American insistence on the continuation of these unlawful acts, though it has been proven to be wrong.
The Islamic Republic of Iran as the most conspicuous victim of the use of chemical weapons was subject to 252 chemical weapons attacks by Iraq. They are all substantiated by the international community and are being documented by the United Nations. The sufferings of tens of thousands of victims, forty thousands of them are still struggling with long-term complications, was a prime reason for the Islamic Republic of Iran to actively participate in the negotiations for conclusion of the Chemical Weapons Convention in Geneva to prevent the happening of such miseries for other people.
The same motive led us to become one of the first and original signatories of the CW Convention in Paris and to take active part in the work of the Preparatory Commission which is currently chaired by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
There is no doubt that this unfounded allegation and unlawful inconvenience caused by the United States to the Yin He, with no regard for international law, will damage the universality of the CWC. In fact it will prevent other countries from joining the Convention, specially in the volatile region of the Middle East where a number of important countries are yet to sign the Convention.
If the implementation of the CW Convention, the fruit of more than 20 years of negotiations, faces this kind of perilous adventure, the motives of many countries to participate in other disarmament agreements will certainly decrease.
Whilst expressing its deep concern over such unlawful acts, the Islamic Republic of Iran expects the Preparatory Commission to show due sensitivity to the activities which are contrary to international law. By condemning such actions, further damage to the objects and purposes of the Convention could be prevented.
The distribution of this letter among the Signatory States as the document of the Preparatory Commission would be greatly appreciated.
(Signed)
Nasrollah Kazemi Kamyab,
Ambassador
This
material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the
opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or
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