Iranian airbus tragedy

US Department of State Bulletin, Sept, 1988

The critical issue confronting this body is not the how and why of Iran Air #655. It is the continuing refusal of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with Resolution 598, to negotiate an end to the war with Iraq, and to cease its acts of aggression against neutral shipping in the Persian Gulf. The victims of Iran Air #655 are only the most recent casualities of a brutal and senseless war that has brought immense pain and suffering to the people of both sides.

Iran long ago could have accepted, and can still accept, an honorable end to the war. As a first step, it should declare its readiness unequivocally to comply with Resolution 598-today, for the first time, before this body. It can act now to end the unspeakable sacrifices the people of both Iran and Iraq are being asked to make. What possible objective could be worth the human suffering and pain, the hundreds of thousands of casualties, and the economic devastation the war has caused on both sides?

A particularly horrifying aspect of the Iran-Iraq war is the increasingly routine use of chemical weapons. Who can forget the pictures of entire families lying dead in the streets of their villages, innocent of anything, yet killed in this savage way?

The United States was the first nation publicly to condemn the use of chemical weapons in the war as a blatant violation of the Geneva protocols. We fully support Security Council Resolution 612, which demands an immediate end to chemical warfare by both parties. No country should think it can use chemical weapons with impunity.

We here in the council have a special responsibility to help bring this war to an end. Almost a year ago today, on July 20, 1987, this council responded to the hopes of the world with the unanimous adoption of Resolution 598. The United States played a leading role in the adoption of that resolution. Its provisions are familiar. It provides a comprehensive framework for an immediate end to the wan

Resolution 598 had a unique, mandatory character In adopting Resolution 598, the members of the Security Council knew exactly what they were doing in ordering an immediate end to the conflict without the agreement of either art

Almost a year has passed, and the bloodshed continues unchecked. The time has come for action to bring this war to an end. I call today on both sides to accept an immediate and comprehensive permanent cease-fire-on land and sea and in the air. Let that be the first step in the full implementation of Resolution 598, leading directly to prompt withdrawal to international borders, return of all prisoners of war, and establishment of an impartial body to look into responsibility for the conflict. Let that stop the bloodshed. Let that pave the way for an enduring peaceful resolution.

I met this morning with the Secretary General to commend his tireless efforts to end the war and to promise our strong support for his mediation efforts. I urge the members of the Security Council-and particularly its permanent members-to do likewise and to make clear that they will not support efforts to delay the immediate implementation of Resolution 598 in all of its provisions.