VP Sends Letter To UN Chief On Effects Of West’s Sanctions

Tehran, Nov 12, IRNA -- Vice-President and Head of Iran’s Department of Environment Masoumeh Ebtekar wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanding him to prevent further irreparable damages to environment at national, regional and international levels. Part of Ebtekar’s letter reads, “The negative impacts of the sanctions are specifically evident on Iran’s economy and environment and in sectors like oil, industry, waste management and dust(y air) phenomena.” “Due to the ban on Iranˈs access to specific advanced technologies for the production of fuels with modern standards (like euro standards) in the oil industry, the air quality of large cities like Tehran has declined in the past four years as a result of which the health of more than 35 million Iranian nationals has been endangered,” she added. Ebtekar pointed to the World Bank’s Annual 2005 Report, and said, “Air pollution imposes at least $9 billion of losses on Iran’s economy and society’s health annually, and its impacts on environmental degradation in Assalouyeh energy zone (in Southern Iran) and resultantly in the Persian Gulf littoral states have greatly increased and resulted in a three-year halt in the implementation of energy production and consumption improvement programs at a national scale and subsequently led to a rise in greenhouse gases and growth in global warming.ˈ Ebtekar underlined that lack of access to environment-friendly technologies in the industry sector has affected air, waste water and waste management quality standards aversely and caused a halt in Iranˈs program for achieving green industries and sustainable and balanced development. At the end of her letter, Ebtekar expressed the hope that the negative and destructive impacts of the unilateral sanctions on the environment of Iran, the region and the world could come under spotlight due to the UN secretary general’s special attention and his positive and progressive approach and also through the cooperation of the UNEP and UNDP, and effective short- and long-term moves would be taken in line with the interests of the world environment./end