OPCW Chief Sympathizes With Sardasht Victims

Tehran, June 29, IRNA - Director-General of the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Uzumcu on Sunday sympathized with victims of chemical attack in Sardasht in 1987. Uzumcu said in a message that 27 years ago, the peace-loving people of Sardasht were brutally attacked by chemical weapons. Iraqi war planes targeted civilians in the city of Sardasht in West Azarbaijan on 28 of June, 1987 with chemical weapons. He also deeply sympathized with the people of Sardasht who are still sufferring from the consequences of the attack. Uzumcu further underlined the need for banning the use of chemical weapons throughout the globe. Sardasht is the first victim of chemical weapons in the world after Hiroshima, Japan. The city has a population of 111,000 and is located 250 kilometers south of Orumiyeh, the capital city of West Azarbaijan province. Sardasht was the main target of Iraq’s chemical bombardments during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war. The city was attacked with mustard gas bombs twice./end