Azernews.Az

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad-Mahdi Akhoundzadeh considered usage of chemical weapons by armed Syrian dissidents a serious international concern, criticizing UN for delay in dispatching chemical weapons fact-finding team there.

According to IRNA news agency, Akhoundzadeh made the comment in a meeting with the head of the 3rd Conference of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

He further emphasized, "Over three weeks have now passed since the Syrian Government has asked the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon to dispatch UN a fact-finding team in collaboration with the OPCW to Syria, but unfortunately, still such a team has not been sent there, while it is necessary to avoid any delay in this respect."

The Iranian deputy FM in the meeting at the threshold of 3rd UN Conference to Revise Implementing of OPCW Rules, which is to be held in Hague, expressed hope that the OPCW team would be dispatched to Syria as soon as possible both to identify the users of such weapons there and to assist the victims of using such horrendous weapons.

The head of the Chemical Weapons Disarmament Convention Revision Conference Christophe Pieter in the meeting, which was held in the presence of the Iranian ambassador to the Netherlands and the ambassador of Poland in that country, said that Iran plays a decisive role at the OPCW.

Pieter added, 'Keeping in mind that the Chemical Weapons Disarmament Convention is very comprehensive, including 188 countries in the world, it is a very strongly supported international convention.'

The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister in International Affairs Akhoundzadeh elsewhere in his talks with the top UN official referred to the issue of proper implementing of the Chemical Weapons Disarmament Convention and proposed ways for eliminating some of the existing obstacles in its way.

He added there also needs to be a mechanism to regulate the illegal conduct of those countries that imposed unilateral bans against the exports of chemical technologies and substances for peaceful usages.

At the end of the meeting the two sides stressed need for close cooperation aimed at success of the conference.

The OPCW, established to oversee the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, has helped to destroy roughly 80 percent of chemical weapons stockpiles declared by 188 members.

Syria is one of just eight countries that have not joined the convention. The others are Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia and South Sudan.

Syria has categorically denied that it has chemical weapons, and said repeatedly that it would never use them against its own people, but only to repel foreign invaders.