London-Jack Straw, the British Justice Secretary, says the outlawed Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) is a terrorist group from the viewpoint of his government. 
Straw told IRNA the MKO is a terrorist organisation and the British government is at the same position that the government of the Islamic Republic is.
“When I was the home secretary, I said it was a terrorist group and the parliament agreed. The difficulty is that there is an independent kind of court which can make the final decisions out of the law. And it decided that the evidence do not support what the government was saying,” he said.
Following a court ruling in 2008, the British parliament de-proscribed the MKO from its list of terrorist organizations despite the abundance of evidence proving the MKO has conducted hundreds of terrorist operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq, including the murder of Kurdish minority during Saddam Hussein’s reign over Iraq.
Straw said it is regrettable that the court removed the terrorist MKO from the country’s terror list.
Earlier a British Foreign Office Spokesman told IRNA that the British government continues to believe that the MKO is responsible for “vile acts of terrorism over a long period”.
Barry Marston added there is no dispute about the group’s terrorist activities and that the “British government is not satisfied the MKO has done enough to distance itself from its past”.
Asked about the fate of Nosratollah Tajik, the Iranian national who was arrested in Britain on charges of trying to smuggle night vision goggles to Iran, Straw said Tajik is now free on bail.
Tajik, 55, a former Iranian ambassador to Jordan stands accused of being the British link in a conspiracy to supply goggles to Iran.
He was allegedly secretly filmed discussing the three million dollar deal in a London office by men he thought would supply the equipment. They were in fact US agents. The US government now wants to extradite Tajik to face trial for his role in the alleged plot. Tajik denies the charges, saying he has been fit up by the CIA.
“Tajik is still in the country. He is free to move around. His case remains under consideration by the Home Secretary. I am not directly involved,” Straw said.
Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Urdan Popov Wednesday called the anti-Iran group, Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization, a terrorist group despite European Union’s recent decision to strike the MKO off its terror list.
“According to the existing laws MKO is a terrorist group,” Popov said in a meeting with Chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaoddin Boroujerdi.
The remark by popov whose country is an EU member came after a controversial decision by the 27- nation bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels to drop the MKO from the blacklist. The MKO had been blacklisted as a terror organization by the EU since 2002.
Regarding Iran-Bulgaria bilateral relation, Popov noted that there are no obstacles on expansion of mutual cooperation.
“Properties and capabilities of the two countries, particularly in energy, require new initiatives for the promotion and expansion of bilateral cooperation,” he went on saying.
Alaoddin Boroujerdi, for his part, expressed satisfaction over expansion of bilateral ties and stressed boosting bilateral consultations and cooperation between Iran and Bulgaria.
Elsewhere, Boroujerdi referred to the sensitive conditions in the Middle-East, Iraq and Afghanistan in particular, and said, “The policy of the Islamic Republic is based on establishment of durable and long-term calm and stability in the region.”
He also criticized West’s double-standard approach towards campaign against drugs and terrorism and solution of the crisis in Palestine.
Downing Street still considers the anti-Iran Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) as a terrorist group, says the British justice secretary.
British Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw said on Wednesday that his country firmly believes in the terrorist nature of the MKO group, despite a controversial decision last year to remove the dissidents from the UK terror list.
Straw said he sorely regrets the British court ruling which de-proscribed the grouplet from the country’s terror blacklist.
"When I was the home secretary, I said it was a terrorist group and the parliament agreed. The difficulty is that there is an independent kind of court which can make the final decisions out of the law. And it decided that the evidence do not support what the government was saying," Straw told IRNA in an exclusive interview.
Following a UK court ruling in 2008, the British parliament lifted the terror ban on MKO — irrespective of the abundance of evidence pointing to the group’s 40-year history of performing terrorist operations in Iran.
The group masterminded a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, one of which was the 1981 bombing of the offices of the Islamic Republic Party, in which more than 72 Iranian officials were killed, including then Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti.
Earlier in January, the European Union decided to follow in Britain’s footsteps and moved to redefine the group as a non-terrorist organization, annulling its previous decision to freeze MKO funds.
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization, which blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism, was founded in Iran in the 1960s but was exiled some twenty years later for performing acts of terrorism in the country.
A 2007 German intelligence report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has identified the MKO as a "repressive, sect-like and Stalinist authoritarian organization which centers around the personality cult of [MKO leaders] Maryam and Masoud Rajavi".
High-ranking MKO members have camped-out in most of Europe’s parliaments for the past two years and have managed to gain scattered support from various high-ranking circles in the West.
Anne Singleton, an expert on the MKO and author of ‘Saddam’s Private Army’ explains that the West aims to keep the group afloat in order to use it in efforts to stage a regime change in Iran.
"With a new Administration in the White House a pre-emptive strike on Iran looks unlikely. Instead the MKO’s backers have put together a coalition of small irritant groups, the known minority and separatist groups, along with the MKO. These groups will be garrisoned around the border with Iran and their task is to launch terrorist attacks into Iran over the next few years to keep the fire hot," she explains.
"The role of the MKO is to train and manage these groups using the expertise they acquired from Saddam’s Republican Guard," Singleton added.
Egypt has agreed to the establishment of a Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) base in the country as the terrorist group seeks a new home.
The MKO, which identifies itself as a Marxist-Islamist guerilla army, has carried out acts of terror against Iranian nationals and officials. Outlawed in Iran, the group was relocated to Iraq and allegedly assisted former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the massacre of thousands of Iraqi civilians in the 1990s.
After the finalization of a security agreement between Baghdad and Washington, the Iraqi government regained control of the country’s national security issues. The interim agreement gave control of Camp Ashraf, the MKO headquarters and training site, to the Baghdad government as of January 1, 2009.
Baghdad seeks to expel the members of the terrorist group from the country.
MKO leaders, meanwhile, are scrambling to woo regional countries to establish a foothold in the region.
Iraqi sources were quoted by Mehr news agency as saying that certain countries that oppose Iran are considering allowing the terrorist group to remain in the Middle East.
Egypt, they said, has agreed with a request by MKO leaders to establish a camp in the country.
Many countries, including the US, have designated the MKO a “terrorist” organization. The US State Department acknowledges that the MKO assassinated at least six US citizens in Iran, prior to the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Iran has called on Iraq to extradite MKO terrorists to Iran where they would face prosecution for their criminal acts.
“We believe that certain MKO leaders who organized and carried out criminal acts against the Iranian nation should be handed over to the Iranian government so they can be tried and brought to justice,” said Tehran’s envoy to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi.
However, US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said in a January interview that the Iraqi government had “provided assurances that none of these (MKO) individuals will be forcibly sent to a third country where they have reason to fear for their safety or well-being, and we know those assurances will be respected.”
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.
Honorable and Distinguished Director of the International Lawyers Organization MR.SOBHASH CHANDRA BIRLA
I am one of the former long time members and a veteran of this cult (PMOI) . I
had been living and working with them for almost two decades. I know them perfectly and I would like to inform you about some facts which exist in this cult. I read your concern about ASHRAF garrison and its residents. You said that “conversion of ASHRAF garrison to a prison, is considered as a war crime.”
Actually , the war crime that you mentioned has already happened and occurred in this cult since long time ago. The leaders and operatives of this cult had participated and co- operated fully with the SADDAM’s suppressive forces in annihilation and destruction of any Iraqi people’s just-struggle during Iraq national and popular uprising against SADDAM HUSSEIN and his government as a result of that many Iraqi people got killed and perished. Killing of Iraq innocent people in co- operation with Iraq dictator is called war crime, and the people who does such a act are called war criminals. I would like to draw your attention to another fact which substantiates and proves that war crime has happened inside of this cult. The people who have been stranded in this cult since long time ago , have been deprived of having access to Foreign Radios and TV programs , internet and mobile. We were not allowed to get in touch with our family and loved ones through mail or phone till the fall of SADDAM HUSSEIN. Many people who could not tolerate the harsh conditions and daily suppressions committed suicide .Many dissidents were turned over to Iraq authorities during SADDAM HUSSEIN’s reign and spent many years in horrendous situation in notorious prison, ABU GHORIB. Many of those in ABU GHORIB got swopped with Iraqi POWs in Iran.
Many, such as MR. SAEED KIYANI and MR. SAEED NOROZI,…… got killed suspiciously and mysteriously inside this cult.
I as a victim of this cult urge you and your organization to help those who need your help in this cult . Help them to have a second chance to choose what they really want. Help them to return to their lost lives once more and revive it .
BEST REGARDS. PARIS-15/FEB-2009
Hassan piransar, iranpeyvand
Zebari: Mojahedin Khalq expulsion from Iraq will be strictly monitored by a special committee
BAGHDAD – Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has stated that Baghdad intends to host talks between Iran and United States over the security situation in Iraq and called for maintaining “Iraq-Iraq-U.S. triangle”.
In an exclusive interview with the Mehr News Agency, Zebari said the Iraqi government, given the current situation in the country, views hosting such talks as a priority.
He pointed out that Iran is “one of Iraq’s most important neighbors” that is seeking “special relations with Baghdad with goodwill” and that Baghdad’s relations with Tehran are of “great significance”.
He added the U.S. influence in Iraq is also “undeniable”.
Iran’s foreign minister has ruled out holding new security talks with the United States over Iraq, saying improved security situation has made such talks unnecessary.
However, Zebari said there are issues that Iran and the United States should “settle between themselves”, and in the run-up to “new Iraq” Baghdad favors cooperation between the three parties by maintaining “Iran-Iraq-U.S. triangle.”
The foreign minister also dismissed reports that Iraq is showing leniency in expelling Mojahedin Khalgh Organization (MKO), saying the Iraqi government has taken its decision on the group and the expulsion will be strictly monitored by a “special committee”.
The MKO 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.
The MKO established a camp for about 3,500 members in Iraq, which its forces used to launch cross-border attacks into Iran. It fought alongside Saddam Hussein’s forces during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
Many senior Iraqi officials have assured Iran that the MKO members will soon have to leave Iraq.
Zebari also stated that Baghdad understands Tehran’s concerns about the Iranian diplomats detained by U.S forces and expressed hope that Iraq’s negotiations with the U.S. will lead to the release of the diplomats.
The U.S. military detained five Iranian diplomats in the city of Arbil, 310 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad, in January 2007. In November that year, U.S. officials said they would release two of the five diplomats.
http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=835267
Envoy says Mojahedin Khalq leaders must be extradited to Iran
Baghdad,Those Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) leaders who masterminded terror operations inside Iran must be extradited to the country to stand trial, Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi has said.
Iran has presented Iraqi officials a list of the MKO leaders who must be handed over to the country, he told the Mehr News Agency.
MKO members immigrated to Iraq in the 1980s and fought alongside Iraqi forces against Iran in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
The ambassador also said, “The Iraqi government has been serious about expelling the terrorist organization members.”
Kazemi Qomi noted that Baghdad has officially informed the MKO members that they “can not choose” between staying or leaving the country, warning that they will be expelled from Iraq.
There are reports that 1,031 MKO members have so far decided to leave Iraq either by acquiring citizenship or by obtaining passport and so they will leave the country or those countries that have granted them citizenship will have to take them out of the Iraqi soil, he pointed out.
The MKO 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.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=834384
Leaders of a group of Iranian exiles in Iraq, who are resisting attempts to make them leave the country, traded accusations with the Iraqi government yesterday after relatives were prevented from visiting them. 
Leaders of the Iranian opposition group, which has been based at Camp Ashraf north of Baghdad for around two decades, said Iraqi security forces had stopped relatives from entering the camp to see family members.
“Iraqi forces stationed at the gates of Camp Ashraf on February 3 and during the past two days on February 9 and 10 prevented the entry of 15 relatives who were trying to see their loved ones in Ashraf,” the People’s Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI) said.
“(The Iraqi government) should not allow this inhumane treatment, which is desired by the Iranian regime, to take place in the name of the Iraqi government,” the group added, calling the actions of Iraqi security forces a breach of human rights.
Iraqi officials, who took over security at the camp from US forces this year, laid the blame on the PMOI.
“The Iraqi government received the families and facilitated their arrival and they were taken to the reception halls but the leaders at the camp refused to let the relatives see their families,” National security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said.
“(They) insisted that they should attend the meeting, without giving these families the freedom to privately see their relatives,” Rubaie added, also calling in his statement for international condemnation.
The statements from the opposite sides were impossible to reconcile.
The fate of Camp Ashraf’s 3,500 residents has been in the air since Iraq took it over from US forces this year.
Iraq’s Shia leaders are friendly with Tehran, and want it closed, but they say it will not be shut down by force.
Human rights groups say closing Ashraf and driving residents out against their will would violate international human rights law. They see it as a test of whether Iraq can meet its legal obligations as a member of the international community.
The government views the PMOI as terrorists, as do the US and Iran. But the group won an important victory last month when the European Union agreed to take it off its list of terrorist organisations.
Iraq Updates, February 14, 2009
http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/45168/refid/RSS-latest-13-02-2009
Iran has condemned the removal of the MKO terrorist group from the European Union’s terror list.
Earlier today, Iran’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Naser Hamidi Zare’ said that exclusion of the group from the list was a new Western trap for the Islamic state, accusing the West of operating a policy of double-standards in dealing with terrorist groups.
The Ambassador claimed that EU politicians made the decision to leave the group, the Mujahedin Khalq Organization, off the list was because of intense lobbying from the ‘Zionist’ lobby.
The decision to leave the group off the list is a sensitive for Iran, because the MKO has been blamed for the mass killings of Iranians over the last 30 years.
Tehran has now complained at the EU decision to the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
Zare’ said that the removal of the terrorist organization from the EU terror list had happened after the Iraqi government decided to expel members of the criminal cult who were stationed in Iraq by former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.
The Iraqi government announced in early February that Baghdad would soon close the file of the terrorist organization and expel them from the country.
According to Zare’, the EU made the move when Baghdad had confirmed its decision to expel MKO members from Iraq.
Religious Intelligence By Nick Mackenzie