Tehran Times

Iraqi MP: Baghdad won’t let U.S. return to Camp Ashraf

Muhammad al-Hamidawi from the Fadila Islamic Party approved a pressure from US to resettle US military forces at Mujahedin headquarters in Al-Khalis. He emphasized that most political and parliamentary groups and fractions will prevent such act and the Iraqi government will not surrender to Washington’s illegal demands.

TEHRAN – Iraq will not succumb to the U.S. pressure to redeploy its military personnel in Camp Ashraf, an Iraqi MP has said.

The Iraqi parliamentarian confirmed that the U.S. is pressuring the Iraqi officials to allow it to return its military troops to Camp Ashraf which houses the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization members.

The majority of Iraqi political and parliamentary groups will oppose the U.S. demand, the MP told the Mehr News Agency.

He said the U.S. presence in Camp Ashraf is not in conformity with the security pact signed between Bagdad and Washington and the Iraqi constitution.

According to the Iraqi constitution it is illegal to host terrorist groups who threaten the national security of neighboring countries, he said

And according to the security pact, the Iraqi government itself must take control of the country’s security and military affairs, he added.

He also said that MKO cannot stay in Iraq and the only thing that delays their expulsion is ‘time’

September 29, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iraqi Police Storm Ashraf – Iraqi forces storm MKO camp

TEHRAN/BAGHDAD – On Tuesday, Iraqi soldiers and riot police stormed Camp Ashraf, where Mojahedin Khalq Organization members had been based, triggering violent clashes that left at Iraqi officials say clashes broke out as they were trying to establish a police post in the camp. least 260 people injured.

Iraqi officials say clashes broke out as they were trying to establish a police post in the camp.

“After the failure of negotiations with the Mojahedin (Khalq) to enter peacefully, the Iraqi army entered Camp Ashraf with force and it now controls the interior and all entrances to the camp,” an Iraqi military source said.

An Iraqi army spokesman in Diyala said two battalions of 400 soldiers each plus 200 riot police took part in Tuesday’s operation, which was ordered by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s office.

“It is our territory and our right to enter, to impose Iraqi law on everybody,” a defense ministry spokesman told al-Arabiya television.

Camp Ashraf, 40 miles north of Baghdad in Diyala province, houses 3,418 residents. It was set up in the 1980s, when Iraq was at war with Iran, as a base to operate against the Iranian government.

The camp was disarmed by U.S. soldiers following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. U.S. soldiers had overseen the camp until handing over control three months ago to Iraqi security forces.

The Iraqi government has vowed to close Camp Ashraf and expel the members to a third country. Iran has said those members whose hands are not tainted with the blood of Iranian nationals can return home.

Police captain Firaz al-Atbi from Diyala province said about 60 members of Iraq’s security forces were also wounded, 20 seriously.

50 camp residents were also detained, AFP quoted him as saying.

Shahriar Kia, a spokesman for the MKO, said four people had been shot dead and around 300 others were injured. However, Atbi denied the four deaths.

The MKO began a campaign of assassinations and bombings in Iran shortly after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The group moved to Iraq in the early 1980s and it fought Iran from there until the United States invaded in 2003.

The executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used the heavily armed group during his decade-long war with Iran in the ’80s, and it also played a role in Saddam’s bloody suppression of Shia and Kurdish uprisings after the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

The MKO was founded in Iran in the 1960s, but its top leadership and members fled the country in the 1980s after carrying out a series of assassinations and bombings inside the country.

The group is especially notorious in Iran because they allied with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

The United States, Canada, Iraq, and Iran have all designated the MKO as a terrorist organization.

The European Union had also designated the MKO as a terrorist organization but inexplicably removed it from the EU terror list in January 2009.

It is still not clear if the US gave Baghdad the green light to storm Camp Ashraf or if Iraqi officials took the action on their own initiative.

However, US military officials in Iraq say they were not informed about the plan until after it was carried out.

Many political analysts had said the United States had intended to use the Camp Ashraf MKO members as pawns to pressure Iran, so this development will change the political calculus of the region.

July 30, 2009 0 comment

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Iraq is adamant about expelling terrorists

Iraq blasts were engineered from abroad: security advisor

TEHRAN – A top Iraqi security official has said foreign hands were behind a Al-Rubaie also said his government is adamant about expelling the terrorist MKO group from the country. recent wave of terror attacks across the country which left at least 140 people dead, half of them Iranians.

“Recent blasts in Iraq were directed by foreign agents,” Iraqi national security advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie said, according to Alforat TV.

“It is impossible that a terror group can continue its operation in a country unless it gets logistical and financial support from abroad,” the security official noted after a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.

Iran has faulted the U.S. for the murder of pilgrims in Iraq, accusing it of failing to establish security in the country.

Al-Rubaie said he briefed the ayatollah about the national security issues. However, he said, “We believe that the general atmosphere is very good in the country.”

Al-Rubaie also said his government is adamant about expelling the terrorist MKO group from the country.

“It is impossible that we allow this group stays in Iraq because this issue contradicts our constitution.”

He added the MKO had “committed crimes against the Iraqi people.”

He said the only alternative facing the MKO is returning to Iran or going to a third country.

Al-Rubaie announced in March that Iraqi security forces have besieged Camp Ashraf housing members of Mojahedin Khalq Organization. The camp is home to 3,500 people.

On a visit to Iran on Jan. 23, Rubaie said Camp Ashraf would be ""part of history within two months"".

MKO immigrated to Iraq in the 1980s and fought alongside Iraqi forces against Iran during Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).

The group has claimed responsibility for carrying out numerous terror attacks against Iranian nationals and officials, and has also been accused of assisting former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the slaughter of thousands of Iraqi civilians in the 1990s

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=193351

April 29, 2009 0 comment

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Iraqis preparing to expel MKO

TEHRAN – The Iraqi administration has made the necessary provisions to expel members of the terrorist Mojahedin Khalgh Organization (MKO) from Iraq, the Asharq Alawsat newspaper reported on Sunday.

The newspaper said Iraq’s National Security Advisor, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, has not allowed doctors to enter the Camp Ashraf, the MKO headquarters, to put pressure on the group to leave Iraq soon.

The Iraqi security officials have also made consultations with the Australian administration to accept MKO members, the paper added.

The Washington Post had earlier quoted al-Rubaie as saying that his government plans to move members of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization from its sanctuary to a location where leaders and “brainwashed cult members” will be separated and the latter “detoxified”.

The U.S. military has protected the group’s camp in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. It handed over control of the camp to Iraqi security forces in February

Saddam Hussein’s government used the group during his decade-long war against Iran in the 1980s, and it also played a role in Hussein’s bloody suppression of Shiite and Kurdish uprisings after the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

On a visit to Iran on Jan. 23, Rubaie said Camp Ashraf would be ""part of history within two months"".

Camp Ashraf, 40 miles north of Baghdad, houses 3,418 residents.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=191544

April 7, 2009 0 comment

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Egypt agrees to give sanctuary to MKO

TEHRAN – According to Iraqi sources, MKO leaders have won the consent of Egyptian officials to set up a camp in Egypt for its members as Iraq is determined to expel the terrorist group, Iraq’s Brasa news agency reported.

The sources claimed the decision came as Iran severely criticized Egypt for its stance on Israel’s brutal war against Palestinians last month.

February 17, 2009 0 comment

Iran

Iran warns EU over delisting MKO

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs Mahdi Safari has lamented the European Union’s “double-standard and hypocritical” approach toward terrorism and warned about dire consequences of compromise with terrorists.
The comments by Safari came as foreign ministers of the 27-nation EU removed the name of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) from its terror list on January 26.
The behavior of certain European countries toward terrorism is “politically motivated”, Safari said as he summoned EU ambassadors to protest against the decision on Wednesday.
Pointing to the EU’s international and domestic commitments to combating terrorism, he called the decision “political and unacceptable”.
Safari bewailed the fact that some European countries are interacting with terrorists to achieve their “illegitimate and temporary purposes”.
The MKO was given “carte blanche” after the EU removed its name from terror list, he said, adding that the EU itself will be responsible for the consequences of its decision.
Pointing to the sensitive situation in the region, he pointed out that terrorists are trying to destabilize the region.
Any cooperation with these groups will help intensify their destructive activities and give rise to regional insecurity, he explained.
The Czech diplomat whose country chairs the EU rotating presidency vowed to notify the block of Iran’s views as soon as possible.
The official also underscored the importance of campaign against terrorism and expressed hope that Iran-EU cooperation will continue in this regard and produce positive results.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=188584

February 7, 2009 0 comment

Germany

BND report calls NCRI a Stalinistic “fake parliament”

TEHRAN – Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency (BND) has released a report on the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), calling it a “fake parliament”.
The NCRI is a part of the terrorist Mojehedin Khalq Organization (MKO) and is headed by Maryam Rajavi.
The BND also stated that the military wing of the MKO is “an army of insurgents”.
Not only are the MKO leadership’s claims to adherence to democratic values disingenuous, but they also follow the tenets of Stalinism and use brainwashing techniques, the report noted.
The report also stated that the MKO finances itself through activities such as economic fraud, the production of false documents, and using children to get donations from charity organizations.
The European Union removed the MKO from its blacklist of terrorist groups on Monday
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=188028

January 29, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iraq to close MKO camp in two months

TEHRAN – Iraqi National Security advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie said on Friday that Baghdad plans to close down the Ashaf military camp where the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) members are held under house arrest.
Iraq is also seeking to extradite the Mojahedin Khalq members who have taken refuge in Iraq since early 1980s, Rubaie told reporters in a joint news conference with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili in Tehran.
The Mojahedin Khalq launched a campaign of assassinations and bombings in Iran immediately after the Islamic Revolution.
The group was supported by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war but was disarmed after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Saddam also used the terror group in suppressing Shiite and Kurdish dissidents in southern and northern Iraq.
Rubaie said, “Among the members of this group, some have the blood of Iraqi innocents on their hands and we will hand them over to Iraqi justice, and some who have Iranian blood on their hands we can hand over to Iran.”
“The only choices open to members of this group are to return to Iran or to choose another country,” he stated.
The Iraqi envoy said “Some of the MKO members have expressed interest to return to Iran and we are making the arrangements for this.”
“We are acting under international humanitarian regulations and international laws. These people will themselves choose where they want to go.”
Rubaie said that 914 MKO members have a passport or residence of a third country and could leave Iraq for these countries.
He said on his return to Iraq he would discuss with the ambassadors of the United States and a dozen European countries to see if they would accept MKO members.
The top Iraqi security official stated that hundreds of MKO members have already returned to their families with the help of the Red Cross organization.
The Iraqi government announced on December 21 it planned to close the Ashraf camp north of Baghdad and close to the Iranian border.
On January 1, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki went further and said he would expel the MKO from the country.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Rubaie said Iraq is ready to take control of its domestic affairs even sooner than the 16-months deadline set by U.S. President Barak Obama.
Iraq and the United States have signed a security deal that calls for the U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. However, Obama, during his campaign for presidency vowed to withdraw combat forces from Iraq within 16 months from taking office.
Iraqi people and security forces are more than ever ready to take care of the country’s affairs and currently 95 percent of domestic issues are controlled by Iraqis, Rubaie said.
Jalili also stated that Iraq’s repeated announcements that it is ready to take control of the situation inside the county leaves no excuse for the continuation of occupation by foreign forces.
Turning to diplomatic relations with Iran, Rubaie said Iraq has signed a highly important agreement with the Islamic Republic after receiving “positive responses” from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“We are leaving Tehran by achieving a very important deal because we raised important issues in our negotiations and received positive, strong and documented responses,” he explained.
Rubaie, however, did not elaborate on the content of the agreement
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=187569

January 24, 2009 0 comment

USA

U.S. reaffirms designation of MKO as terrorists

The U.S. State Department reaffirmed its designation of the anti-Iran Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization as a terrorist organization.

The presence in Iraq of the MKO has long been a source of friction between Washington and Baghdad, which intends to expel the terrorist group.

The MKO had filed a petition for revocation of its designation as a terrorist organization. But U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrote in a notice published Monday in the Federal Register that after reviewing the case she determined that the designation is still valid and appropriate.

Iraq’s government has long sought to get rid of the MKO, but the issue took on new urgency when Iraq assumed greater sovereignty Jan. 1 under a new security agreement that gave the Iraqis responsibility for Camp Ashraf.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said on Jan. 1 that the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization can ""no longer operate in Iraq"".

The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

The MKO is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze, and has been designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visits Brussels and despite the ban enjoys full freedom in Europe.

The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).

In recent months, high-ranking MKO members have been lobbying governments around the world in the hope of acknowledgement as a legitimate opposition group.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=186826

January 15, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iraq assures Tehran on MKO

Iraq assures Tehran on MKO, pilgrims and Iranian detainees

TEHRAN – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday reiterated that his country will take legal action against Mojahedin Khalq Organization, provide the Iranian pilgrims with more facilities, and release the Iranian diplomats from illegal detention in Iraq.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s Foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran.

Maliki pointed out cementing ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran is his country’s priority in efforts to strengthen relations with regional countries.

Thus Iranian and Iraqi officials will willingly try to overcome any obstacles on the way, he added.

He insisted that the Iraqi government will enforce the laws in regard to the presence of terrorist groups in Iraq.

The Iraqi government took over the control of Camp Ashraf home to 3,500 MKO members on January 1, as part of a bilateral security deal between the U.S. and the country.

Iraqi officials will try to resolve the issue of Iranian detainees, he added.

U.S. forces broke into the Iranian consulate in Iraq’s Kurdish city of Arbil on Jan. 11, 2007, detaining three Iranian diplomats.

Mottaki hoped that the agreements between Tehran and Baghdad will pave the way for establishing comprehensive relations between the two countries

Political Desk

January 5, 2009 0 comment

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