§ Mr. Gregoryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent report of the United Nations Secretary-General's mission to investigate allegations of the use of chemical weapons in the conflict between Iran and Iraq.
§ Mr. RentonWe unreservedly support the statement made by the President of the Security Council on 21 March on the recent report of the United Nations Secretary-General's mission to investigate chemical weapons use in the Iran-Iraq conflict. That report unanimously concluded that chemical weapons had been used by Iraqi forces against Iranian forces. We greatly regret that Iraq has been clearly shown to have been in violation of the Geneva protocol of 1925, which prohibits the use of such weapons. At the same time, we fully share the concern expressed in the statement about the risk of an extension of the conflict and fully endorse the call for respect for the territorial integrity of neighbouring states. We also fully support the call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, which would open the way to a negotiated and comprehensive settlement to this tragic conflict.
This further instance of chemical weapons use emphasises the need for a comprehensive ban on this horrible class of weapons. We trust that the other 411W participants in the negotiations in Geneva, which are currently being chaired by the United Kingdom representative to the conference on disarmament, will join us in a renewed effort to bring them to a successful conclusion.