A/CONF.171/13 English Page 149 family, the basic unit of society, and in terms of marriage as an equal partnership between husband and wife. 6. The Holy See places general reservations on chapters VII, VIII, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV and XVI. This reservation is to be interpreted in terms of the statement made by the delegation in the plenary meeting of the Conference on 13 September 1994. We request that this general reservation be noted in each of the above-mentioned chapters. 28. The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran submitted the following written statement: The Programme of Action, although it has some positive elements, does not take into account the role of religion and religious systems in the mobilization of development capabilities. It suffices for us to know that Islam, for example, makes it the duty of every Muslim to satisfy the essential needs of the community and also imposes the duty of showing gratitude for benefits by utilizing them in the best possible way, as well as the duties of justice and balance. We therefore believe that the United Nations should convene symposiums to study this matter. There are some expressions that could be interpreted as applying to sexual relations outside the framework of marriage, and this is totally unacceptable. The use of the expression "individuals and couples" and the contents of principle 8 demonstrate this point. We have reservations regarding all such references in the document. We believe that sexual education for adolescents can only be productive if the material is appropriate and if such education is provided by the parents and aimed at preventing moral deviation and physiological diseases. 29. The representative of Malta submitted the following written statement: Reservations on chapter VII In joining the consensus, the delegation of Malta would like to state: The delegation of Malta reserves its position on the title and provisions of this chapter and in particular on the use of such terms as "reproductive health", "reproductive rights" and "regulation of fertility" in this chapter and in other parts of the document. The interpretation given by Malta is consistent with its national legislation, which considers the termination of pregnancy through induced abortion as illegal. /...