Iran elected as deputy head of CWC conference

Participants in the 16th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in the Hague, the Netherlands, elected Iran's Envoy to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Kazzem Qaribabadi as the vice-chairman of the conference.The conference is due to deal with the member states' compliance with their commitment to the dismantlement of chemical weapons. On the first day of the gathering, the member states elected the Iranian envoy as the Asian vice-chairman of the conference. Also during the conference, Qaribabadi, who heads the Iranian delegation at the meeting, slammed the US for its non-compliance with its OPCW and CWC undertakings. In June, the OPCW member states slammed the US and Russia for their refusal to dismantle and annihilate their chemical weapons, and warned that their case would be referred to the UN Security Council and other world bodies if they continued their inaction. Iran, a main victim of chemical weapons and one of the 41 members of the OPCW Executive Council, has always stressed the urgent need for the dismantlement of the WMDs, including chemical weapons, as it has been a victim of such weapons. Tens of thousands of Iranians were killed and wounded by chemical weapons during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988). Around 100,000 Iranians are still living with the effects, which include long-term respiratory problems, eye and skin problems as well as immune system disorders, psychological disorders, genetic disorders and cancers.