Iraq, and he would also like some comments from the observer for Iraq. The Sub-Commission had again heard of chemical weapon attacks against Kurdish combatants and civilians and reference had been made to the inhabitants of Halabja. Iraq had denied the use of chemical weapons and refused United Nations observers and others unrestricted access to investigate those allegations. The Minority Rights Group representative had stated that all the E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/SR.l6 page 13 evidence, from journalists, medical experts and others, confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt that chemical weapons had been used. Be would like to know whether his five pre-conditions had been followed by Mr. Alfonso Martinez; whether the Sub-Commission members who had been to Iraq and had actually visited Balabja considered that it could be assumed that chemical weapons had been used; whether as the Iraqi Government claimed, chemical weapons had been used by the Iranian Government; and whether anyone had asked if gas masks and other equipment had been distributed to the Kurdish population to protect themselves against the use of chemical weapons by the Iranians. 56. Mr. ALFONSO MARTINEZ said that he was under no obligation to answer Mr. Eide's questions and that a great many words would have been avoided if Mr. Eide had accepted the invitation from the Iraqi non-governmental organization and gained a per:Sonal impression of what was happening in Iraq. Indeed there was still time for him to go there. 57. Be could not deny that h4~ had received the cable, but it had tipped the balance. Initially he had felt that it was not possible to accept the invitation, but after receiving the cable he had accepted -for reasons that he would explain in private to some of his colleagues. Be had felt that there had been a campaign against acceptance and his feeling had been confirmed on 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing a human rights issue in Iraq, specifically the use of chemical weapons against Kurdish combatants and civilians. The language used is formal and official, suggesting a document from a government or international organization. The content is focused on the political and humanitarian aspects of the issue, with no mention of economic or environmental factors.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, Health