Following a period of rising tension and border conflicts, hostilities broke out between Iran and Iraq in September 1980. On September 22nd, Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim appealed to both countries to act with restraint and offered his good offices to reach a negotiated settlement. On September 28th, the Security Council adopted resolution 479 which called upon Iran and Iraq to immediately refrain from any further use of force and to settle their dispute by peaceful means. The Council also called upon other states to refrain from any action which would widen the war.
Despite repeated efforts by the United Nations, the conflict continued. The Security Council passed several resolutions calling for a cease-fire and an immediate end to all military operations, but to no avail. Indeed, the intensity of the conflict increased and there were soon allegations of attacks on civilian targets and the use of chemical weapons.
Between March 1984 and August 1988, Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar dispatched several missions to investigate allegations on the use of chemical weapons. The missions indicated that chemical weapons had been used by Iraq. The Security Council and the Secretary-General condemned the use of such weapons and called for strict observance of the 1925 Geneva Protocol against the use of poison gas and bacteriological weapons. The Secretary-General dispatched other fact-finding missions in connection with allegations of attacks on civilian areas and the treatment of prisoners of war and civil detainees.
In January 1987, the Secretary-General called on Security Council members to work together to explore steps to end the conflict. On July 20th, the Security Council adopted resolution 598 which would become the framework for reaching a cease-fire agreement. The resolution called for an immediate cease-fire and for the withdrawal of forces to pre-war boundaries. It also provided for the dispatch of observers to supervise the cease-fire and withdrawal. It urged the release of prisoners of war and called on Iran and Iraq to cooperate with the Secretary-General in implementing the resolution and in settling all outstanding issues.
On July 23, 1987, Iraq accepted the terms of resolution 598. However, Iran refused to accept it. The Secretary-General conducted intensive diplomatic activity which included visits to both Iran and Iraq in September 1987. High level contacts continued throughout 1987 and 1988. On July 17, 1988, Iran informed the Secretary-General that it would accept resolution 598. After discussions in New York with the foreign ministers of the two countries, an implementation formula was devised by the Secretary-General.
On August 9, 1988, the Security Council adopted resolution 691. The resolution authorized the establishment of the United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG). It was established to verify, confirm and supervise the cease-fire and the withdrawal of forces. The first elements of UNIIMOG were subsequently dispatched to the area on August 10th. The cease-fire entered into effect on August 20th.
Negotiations between the two countries continued throughout 1988 and into 1990. Ministerial level talks sought to reach a common understanding on the implementation of resolution 598. In August 1990, negotiations helped resolve some of the outstanding issues. On August 14th, the President of Iraq submitted a letter to the President of Iran indicating that the 1975 Treaty of State Frontier and Neighborly Relations should be used as a basis for future relations. By November, both sides had nearly completed troop withdrawals to the internationally recognized boundaries. UNIIMOG supervised and verified the troop withdrawals.
With the withdrawal of forces completed, the Security Council terminated UNIIMOG's mandate in February 1991. That same month, small civilian offices were established in Baghdad and Teheran by the Secretary-General. These offices allowed the United Nations to continue to respond promptly to requests by either government to investigate matters for which military expertise was required. The offices were also important in the Secretary-General's efforts to complete the implementation of resolution 598.
By the end of 1992, the UN offices in Baghdad and Teheran were phased out. The Permanent Missions of Iran and Iraq became the channels of communication between the two countries for matters related to implementation of resolution 598.
Source: Basic Facts About the United Nations. Published by United Nations Department of Public Information. Copyright 1995 United Nations.
