News

Maliki & Kobler discussed the problem of MKO existance in Iraq

Maliki, Kobler discuss relieving Iraq from UN sanctions

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki discussed with the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Martin Kobler, the efforts to relieve Iraq from the UN Charter’s seventh Chapter.

A statement by the Premier’s office received by IraqiNews.com on Sunday reported that “Maliki discussed during welcoming Kobler, the different internal issues along with discussing the files following by the UN Representative in Iraq, most notably the efforts to exempt Iraq from the UN Charter’s 7th Chapter.”

“The two sides discussed resolving the problem of the Mojahedin khalq (MKO, MEK, Saddam’s Private army) organization’s existence in Iraq,” the statement added.

Iraqi News,

May 20, 2013 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

MKO Hatching Plots to Create Tension in Iran

The anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, NCR and PMOI) is hatching different plots to prepare their members to infiltrate Iranian borders to create tension during the election time in June.

The MKO ringleaders who ordered the terrorist group’s members to create tumult and carry out sabotage acts in Iran during the 2009 presidential election are now trying to find new ways to repeat the same events during the June voting.

In pursuit of the same goals, the MKO members have been ordered to make use of all means, including social networks, websites and weblogs, to incite conflicts in the Iranian society before the election and even kill people in Iran to blame the Iranian security forces for their deaths.

The MKO ringleaders, believe that killing people will increase the differences and radicalizes the Iranian society on the threshold of the June 14 presidential election.

MKO along with the foreign spy agencies played a major role in the post-election unrests in Iran in 2009.

One of the rioters arrested during Iran’s post-election unrests confessed that he had received trainings in the Camp Ashraf of the MKO in Iraq to conduct sabotage and terror operations in Iran.

Nasser Abdul-Hosseini, alias Behrouz, who was detained for his major role in post-election unrests made the confessions to a court hearing in Tehran in 2009. Abdul-Hosseni admitted all charges raised against him in the indictment.

"I went there (the camp) after crossing Iran-Iraq border at Qasr-e Shirin illegally and I was trained by a person named Siyavash in a bid to stage operations in Tehran," Hosseini said during the court hearing.

About the details of his training program, the detainee confessed that he had been trained to spark unrests in peaceful demonstrations, take photographs of any empty polling station and send them to MKO headquarters and raise pictures of MKO leaders at Iranian universities.

He further confessed that after June 12, 2009, presidential election he learned how to make Cocktail Molotov and received trainings from a woman named Zohreh, a London-based MKO member, to set buses and mosques on fire.

Hosseini added that he was arrested by Iranian security forces before fulfilling his mission.

The MKO, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.

The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly-established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar and Judiciary Chief Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.

The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.

The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.

May 19, 2013 0 comments

Albania

UN: 14 Iranian Exiles Moved From Iraq To Albania

The first exiles from an Iranian opposition group have moved to Albania from a camp near Baghdad as part of a relocation process, the United Nations said Thursday, a step toward defusing an explosive dispute left over from the Iran-Iraq war of the UN: 14 Iranian Exiles Moved From Iraq To Albania 1980s and the U.S.-led ousting of the regime of Saddam Hussein.

In a statement, the U.N. envoy in Iraq, Martin Kobler, said 14 members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq arrived in Albania late Wednesday, the first of 210 set to travel to new homes in Albania.

The MEK, or the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, opposes Tehran’s clerical regime. It carried out assassinations and bombings in Iran until renouncing violence in 2001. Several thousand of its members were given sanctuary in Iraq by dictator Saddam Hussein, who was deposed in 2003.

Since then, the MEK refugees have been a stubborn, anachronistic thorn in the side of Iraq and the United States, even after the U.S. turned over responsibility for Camp Ashraf, housing the remnants of the militant group, to the Iraqi government in 2009.

The MEK fought alongside Saddam’s forces in the 1980s Iraq-Iran war, and its members fear persecution and death if they return to Iran.

The Shiite-led government in Baghdad that replaced Saddam’s regime is bolstering its ties with Iran. It considers the MEK a terrorist group and wants its members out of the country.

The MEK exiles have come under fire from armed Iraqis who demand their expulsion. In one incident, seven people were killed in a rocket attack on the MEK camp in February. Later, the head of a Shiite militant group threatened to carry out more attacks on the camp if the MEK members refused to leave.

Last year about 3,000 MEK exiles were moved from their decades-long enclave in northeastern Iraq to a refugee camp outside Baghdad at a former U.S. military base, part of an effort to ensure their peaceful departure from Iraq. However, while Albania is taking in a small group, it remains unclear where the rest of the MEK members might go, leaving a clear potential for further violence.

The U.S. government praised Albania for accepting to host the MEK members, urging the Iranian opposition group to cooperate fully with the relocation process.

"The relocation of Camp Hurriya residents outside of Iraq is vital to their safety and security. It is the responsibility of the MEK leadership to facilitate for the residents of Camp Hurriya free and unfettered access to U.N. human rights monitors," said a statement by the U.S. State Department.

Albanian Interior Minister Flamur Noka pledged to quickly complete arrangements to resettle the 14. He told The Associated Press that they will get the refugee status immediately and then receive residence permits and proper documentation.

"They will be treated like every other Albanian citizen," he said, though "for the moment they will have the status of the refugee," meaning they will not be free to travel outside Tirana, the capital.

Then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton negotiated the agreement with Albania and the U.N. to take in the 210 MEK exiles late last year.

The U.S. took the MEK off its list of terror groups in September 2012, raising a stiff protest from Iran, charging that the U.S. move was "a violation of America’s legal and international obligations" that could threaten U.S. interests.

"There is much evidence of the group being involved in terrorist activities. Delisting it shows America’s double standard policy on terrorism," Iran state TV said then. The U.S. distinguishes between "good and bad terrorists" and the MEK are now "good terrorists because the U.S. is using them against Iran," the TV report said.

The MEK spent large sums of money in years of lobbying for removal from the U.S. terror list, holding rallies in European capitals and elsewhere.

On Thursday, Kobler described the transfer of the first group as "an encouraging first step in the relocation of the group of 210 residents the Albanian government has agreed to receive."

Ortenc Balla, a U.N. official in Tirana, said the 14 were in an asylum-seekers center. "The Albanian government has undertaken all the responsibilities, including their security," he told the AP.

Phone calls to the Iraqi government and MEK officials went answered.

___

Associated Press writers Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania and Bradley Klapper in Washington contributed.

May 18, 2013 0 comments

USA

Congress Debates MEK with Obama Officials

Congress Debates War, Sanctions, Diplomacy and Mojahedin Khalq with Top Obama Officials

MEK

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) conveyed his support for the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) a group, which is widely opposed by Iranians and viewed by human rights organizations as a cult. The group has been actively lobbying the House to pressure the administration to move MEK members back to the group’s paramilitary base at Camp Ashraf, Iraq. Late last year, as part of what was widely viewed as a deal with the State Department to get the group removed from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations, the MEK agreed to leave the base and relocate to Camp Liberty, also in Iraq, where they would then work with the UN to repatriate members in third countries. In a heated exchange with Rep. Rohrabacher, who called for the U.S. to support the MEK, Amb. Sherman expressed her concern that the people at Camp Liberty were being exploited by the MEK’s leadership. “There are opportunities for the people of Camp Liberty to resettle. There have been offers made by countries like Albania to take many of them,” she said. “And to be very frank Congressman, the leadership of the MEK, both in Camp Liberty and in Paris, have kept the people of Camp Liberty from knowing what their options are. And I so care about their lives, and the threat to their lives in the camp, that I hope the leadership of the MEK will allow them to know their options.”

This follows on the heels of testimony from Secretary of State John Kerry in April indicating that MEK members in Camp Liberty had ceased participating in interviews with officials to determine where best to relocate them. Human Rights Watch and other organizations have documented human rights abuses inflicted by MEK leadership against members who questioned their authority or sought to leave the camps

(…)

May 18, 2013 0 comments

USA

U.S. asks leaders of MEK to give unfettered access to UNHR monitors

14 Camp Hurriya Residents Depart for Albania

Press Statement

Jen Psaki

Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

May 16, 2013

On May 15 the first 14 Camp Hurriya residents departed Iraq for permanent relocation in Albania.

The United States expresses its appreciation to the Government of Albania for its generous humanitarian gesture to accept 210 former Camp Hurriya residents. Albania has been a strong partner of the United States in bringing peace and stability to Iraq.

The United States urges the Mujahedin-e Khalq leadership to cooperate fully with the UNHCR relocation process and to facilitate access by United Nations monitors to Camp Hurriya residents. The relocation of Camp Hurriya residents outside of Iraq is vital to their safety and security. It is the responsibility of the MEK leadership to facilitate for the residents of Camp Hurriya free and unfettered access to UN human rights monitors.

The United States reiterates its strong support for the efforts of UNHCR, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and the Special Representative of the Secretary General Martin Kobler. We continue to emphasize that the camp and its residents must be secured in accordance with the December 25, 2011 Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq, and urge all involved parties to work together effectively on this.

PRN: 2013/0573

May 18, 2013 0 comments

UN envoy welcomes relocation of first group of Iranian exiles to Albania

The top United Nations official in Iraq today[16 May 2013 ] called the relocation of 14 Iranians to Albania from an exile camp near Baghdad, an “encouraging first step.”

“The residents’ arrival in Albania late last night is an encouraging first step in the relocation of the group of 210 residents the Albanian government has agreed to receive,” said the UN Special Representative for the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), Martin Kobler.

More than 3,000 residents, most of them members of a group known as the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran, are temporarily housed in a transit facility called Camp Liberty – also know as Camp Hurriya – while the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) carries out a process to determine their refugee status.

Mr. Kobler said that the departure of the group from Iraq is in accordance with the memorandum of understanding of 25 December 2011, which foresees the relocation of the residents to third countries. “I thank the Government of Albania and encourage other Member States to come forward and to receive residents in their countries as well.”

Following the original offer by the Albania Government to assist in the resettlement, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he “unequivocally supports” Mr. Kobler’s efforts “to courageously and creatively, in exceptionally difficult circumstances, help resolve this situation.”

In addition, in his recent report about the situation in Iraq, Mr. Ban urged those who express support for the residents of Camp Hurriya and the remaining residents of another camp, New Iraq, to stop spreading insults and falsehoods about Mr. Kobler and instead help to promote a durable solution.

Following Albania’s announcement, the Government of Germany offered humanitarian admission for approximately 100 residents of the camp.

May 18, 2013 0 comments

Iraqi Authorities' stance on the MEK

Iraqi Officials Urge Immediate Expulsion of MKO

Iraqi officials and politicians condemned the crimes committed by the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Iraqi Officials Urge Immediate Expulsion of MKO Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK and PMOI) against the Iranian and Iraqi nations, and underlined the necessity for the rapid expulsion of the terrorist group from Iraq.

According to the Iraqi Al-Ahd news website, a number of Iraqi officials and politicians viewed the continued presence of the MKO members in their country against the international norms and laws, and called for their swift expulsion from their country.

Abduljabbar Al-Obaidi, a manager in al-Azim district in Diyala province, asked the Iraqi government to evacuate Camp Ashraf from the remnants of MKO members and turn it into a modern residential complex or a university.

Also, Wael Abdulatif, one of the former Iraqi ministers and MPs, underlined the necessity for the rapid expulsion of the terrorist group from Iraq, and said, "The international relations, specially ties with the neighboring states, are based on cooperation in the interest of the countries, and therefore, it is not wise to shelter an organization like the MKO which is hostile to the Islamic Republic overtly and covertly."

MKO is a terrorist group with a bad record of terrorist operations in Iran and other countries, including Iraq.

In a recent case, the MKO claimed that it can recruit extremist and terrorist groups in Iraq due to its three-decade-long stay in that country which has also provided them with some in-debt knowledge of the Arab country, and then organize bombing plots, suicide attacks and spark sectarian and ethnic conflict in a bid to make Iraq’s atmosphere tense similar to the present conditions in Syria.

Despite the efforts made by the Iraqi government to expel all MKO elements from Iraq, the western supporters of MKO, specially the US, have prevented their expulsion from the Muslim country so far.

In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq’s Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty transient facility near Baghdad.

No world country has yet accepted to host the members of the terrorist group.

The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.

May 16, 2013 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization

MKO ex-Supporter Criticizes the Leader

Iraj Mesdaaghi, who has worked in support of the MEK for many years in Europe, published a 230 page open letter to Massoud Rajavi. He asks Rajavi to address this issue of internal dissatisfaction. He has gone into detail about many specific reactions Rajavi has had against current members as well as ex-members like Batul Soltani, Zahra Mir Bagheri and Ghorban Ali Hossein Nejad. Rajavi has threatened current members that he has embarrassing information about them and will expose them. Although this 230 page letter falls short of understanding a cult leader, and is still written by someone who is trying to save the soul of Rajavi, but it represents a significant development as the dissent from within is expanding.

After this letter, Rajavi issued a statement in name of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). After swearing at Mesdaaghi and linking him with the ‘agents of the Iranian regime’, Rajavi has banned every member from talking to any media or site which has made any criticism of him (he means independent mainstream media such as the BBC). It is clear to everyone that Rajavi wants to cut such people off and stop the spread of the ‘disease’ of dissent which is already rampant in the MEK and has got out of his control.

Iran Interlink Weekly Digest

May 14, 2013 0 comments

The MEK; Baath Party Accomplice

Iraq elections and defeat for Baathist- MeK band

Iraqi 2013 provincial election, in which the State of Law Coalition acquired 97 seats out of 369 seats and won a significant victory in the first rank, demonstrated that full-scale efforts of Baathist-Mujahedeen band to Iraq elections and defeat for Baathist- MeK band undermine Maliki, a campaign that had been started from months ago, have had no considerable influence in Iraqi politics.

The State of Law won 20 seats out of 58 seats in Baghdad and the al-Najafi List with only 7 seats took the second rank. This failure implies that radical political coalition against the Maliki government is completely out of the picture and extremists could no longer continue the anti-security movement and terrorist activities.

In 7 of the 12 Iraq’s provinces, The State of Law ranked first, and in one province it equaled with ISCI. This success reveals the maximum popular base of The State of Law in Iraq, and it is a very important parameter to predict outcome of the parliamentary elections that will be held 8 months later.

An important point in this regard is that this election was confirmed and admired by international institutions and official observers; Office of UNAMI in Iraq issued a statement saying Iraqi elections were held according to international standards. Office of the United Nations had adopted the necessary measures to prevent any fraud.

Martin Kobler on April 20 visited the Rusafa electoral center in Baghdad and oversaw counting process. One day after the election, Mr. Kobler issued a statement addressing the Iraqi people and congratulated healthy and successful election. Mrs. Lyndall Sachs, Australian ambassador in Iraq, as an international observer visited electoral centers in Najaf and described the election atmosphere excellent.

May 14, 2013 0 comments

Iran

No Place for MKO Members in Regional States

A senior Iranian legislator blasted the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI) for its crimes against the Iranian and other regional people, and said the members of the No Place for MKO Members in Regional States terrorist group are not welcomed in any countries of the region.

"Certainly, the grouplet has no place among the regional countries," Vice-Chairman of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mansour Haqiqatpour said in an interview with the parliament’s website on Sunday.

Cautioning that the US and its allies are seeking to find a shelter for the terrorist MKO in the region, he said, "The western states want to accommodate the MKO members in the region in a bid to make an instrumental use of them but the regional states will not allow this to happen."

Haqiqatpour said that Iraq which has sheltered the group since Saddam’s era is now strenuously seeking a way to get rid of it and provide the ground for its transfer to another country.

Earlier media reports had disclosed that the MKO has offered the US to help it spark Syria-like unrests in Iraq.

In an April report, Didehban Center disclosed that the MKO has on many occasions asked the US administration to provide the group with financial support in a bid to make Iraq insecure.

The report said that the proposals have been put forth to the US officials through former and retired Washington officials who are now among the MKO advocates, including former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton, Former presidential candidate John Mc Cain and former US Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

The MKO has claimed that it can recruit extremist and terrorist groups in Iraq due to its three-decade-long stay in that country which has also provided them with some in-debt knowledge of the Arab country, and then organize bombing plots, suicide attacks and spark sectarian and ethnic conflict in a bid to make Iraq’s atmosphere tense similar to the present conditions in Syria.

Despite the efforts made by the Iraqi government to expel all MKO elements from Iraq, the western supporters of MKO, specially the US, have prevented their expulsion from the Muslim country so far.

No world country has yet accepted to host the members of the terrorist group.

The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly-established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.

The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.

Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who took the MKO off the US terror list in September.

May 13, 2013 0 comments

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