H.E. Mr. Javad Kachoueian:

Deputy Eric Byrne was correct that some groups have got the wrong understanding of Sharia law. In my country there are also different ideas about some verses of the Koran. Unfortunately, groups in Syria and Iraq misuse Islam for their objectives. We are trying our best to find ways to reduce capital punishment through the good interpretation of Islam. We are unhappy about the number of executions in Iran. I am sure the delegation to Iran had a good discussion about this with the brother of the girl in Iran, and discussed the execution and the issue of the Baha'i with the Iranian authorities and have had a response about it.

We should be careful because, unfortunately, some groups such as ISIS, also known as DAISH, try to misuse Islam for their political objectives. Unfortunately, it can absorb many young people to fight in Syria and Iraq. Many times we cautioned the authorities in Europe to be careful not to help those groups in Syria. Unfortunately, they did not understand the groups in the region, so they helped them when they were in Syria. Now, after Syria, they have gone to Iraq and are trying to reach the other countries in the region. Today, our deputy foreign Minister is in Kuwait because there is concern there about ISIS. ISIS does not recognise Kuwait as a state. We are trying to work with all our neighbouring countries to control ISIS in the region. ISIS assassinated Sunni clergymen in Mosul last week, and they prayed the Friday prayers there.

Although, unfortunately, much of the mass media has portrayed this as a war between Shia and Sunni, it is incorrect. ISIS has assassinated Sunni people, and some Sunni clergymen in different countries have criticised ISIS and condemned their activities. I want to clarify the situation. We must be careful. We are witnessing two important challenges in our region, namely, extremism and terrorism. It is necessary for all international communities and members of the committee to help the Iraqi Government to fight terrorism. They want to continue their activities in other countries throughout the region. Unfortunately, some countries have helped these groups before, but now they understand that they made a major mistake. The foreign minister of Iraq, Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, is a Kurdish Sunni. In an official letter to the United Nations Secretary General, which has been issued to the Security Council, he has asked the United Nations and all its members to fight against al-Qaeda and ISIS. In the letter, Mr. Zebari officially asked the United Nations to prevent the terrorists from receiving support. The war is not between Shia and Sunni. In Iran, many Sunnis live peacefully with Shias, and many Shias live peacefully in Saudi Arabia and other countries. Fortunately, in principle there are no differences between Shia and Sunni except for a very small few interpretations. However, unfortunately, some countries are using terrorism to change the political system. This is the real problem of our region.