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Resolution 849 (1985)
War between Iraq and Iran
The Assembly,
1. Expressing its horror at the death and suffering, among combatants, including children, and civilians alike, caused by five years of warfare fought with particularly destructive modern weapons ;
2. Considering that a number of these weapons are supplied by Council of Europe member states ;
3. Considering that the current stalemate in this senselessly prolonged conflict nevertheless brings growing risks of new political destabilisation of an area through which a quarter of Europe's oil supplies transit ;
4. Mindful of the threat to world peace of such a conflict, resulting from involvement of the two super-powers, whose de facto support for Iraq does not mean that their interests in the region converge ;
5. Conscious of the need to exploit the potential for peace of the good bilateral relations which certain member states maintain with either or both belligerents ;
6. Recognising the important position of Turkey in whose interests it is to ensure that this conflict ends and that regional stability is urgently achieved ;
7. Aware of the potential of the region for encouraging or containing the spread of international terrorism ;
8. Considering that the situation in the Gulf calls for discussion within the Council of Europe in the context of Resolution (84) 21 of the Committee of Ministers, on Council of Europe action in the political field, whereby governments have agreed :
"&mdash to consult together on international problems of common concern and, if possible, to provide member states with pointers for the development of their foreign policies ;
&mdash to discuss events which uphold or flagrantly violate the principles and ideals on which the organisation is based, in particular human rights, with a view to taking, if possible, a common stand on such events" ;
9. Bearing in mind the report of its Political Affairs Committee (Doc. 5456) based, inter alia, on exchanges of view with qualified representatives of parties involved,
10. Calls upon parliaments and governments of member states to work for the earliest possible ceasefire which could result in opening negotiations aimed at achieving an honourable and lasting negotiated settlement of the conflict :
10.1. by directing their efforts to placing an embargo on all exports of arms to the countries in conflict ;
10.2. by increasing humanitarian aid to these countries ;
10.3. by giving their full support to the Secretary General of the United Nations in his efforts to exploit signs of new flexibility in Tehran ;
10.4. by supporting also the independent peace efforts of the Islamic Conference Organisation and of Turkey, active within that organisation, as well as in the Council of Europe ;
10.5. by supporting all efforts to reach limited agreements, putting an end to the "war of the cities" and the use of chemical weapons, since these could be steps on the road towards a general ceasefire ;
10.6. by similarly supporting the action of all Iranians opposed to the war, and especially that of the Iranian National Council of Resistance which is demanding the end of hostilities between the two countries and a negotiated settlement of the conflict ;
10.7. by encouraging the Governments of the United States and of the Soviet Union to make this conflict an issue in their bilateral talks, with a view to preventing misunderstandings and to promoting stability in the area ;
10.8. by taking the lead in making known the abhorrence of the international community for all violation of human rights and of the international humanitarian conventions governing the rules of war, and particularly those concerning chemical weapons and the treatment of prisoners.