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Maliki: Iraq won’t Be Used to Threaten Neighbors

Maliki said Iraq”will not let any terrorist party harm its relations with neighboring governments”and named the Mjahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK,PMOI,Rajavi cult)

Iraq’s government said on Wednesday it wanted 3,500 members of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO/PMOI) in Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, to leave the country.

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

Maliki repeated his government’s call for members of the group to leave in his comments to Al-Alam. He also said Iraq would not force them to leave to Iran or another country but would leave the choice to them.

Maliki said Iraq”will not let any terrorist party harm its relations with neighboring governments”and named the MKO, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that wants a homeland in southeast Turkey and PKK offshoot, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), that stages terrorist operations in Iran’s western border areas and often clashes with Iranian forces.

MKO 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.

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.

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 also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s…..

Full Report:

Maliki: Iraq won’t Be Used to Threaten Neighbors

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraq’s prime minister, who started a visit to Iran on Saturday, said his government would not allow Iraq to be used as a base to threaten its neighbors.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told Iran’s Arabic news channel on Friday that Baghdad”will not let Iraq be a launching ground to threaten any country,”Al-Alam said on its website.

US forces in Iraq came under Iraqi mandate on January 1, a move Maliki said restored sovereignty nearly six years after the US-led invasion.

Iran is embroiled in a row over its nuclear plans with the United States, which has refused to rule out military action to end the dispute.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

A US attack on the Syrian village of Sukkariyah on October 26, has raised speculation about the likelihood of a US unilateral strike on the Islamic Republic.

Speculation that Israel could also bomb Iran mounted after a big Israeli air drill in June. In the first week of June, 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters reportedly took part in an exercise over the eastern Mediterranean and Greece, which was interpreted as a dress rehearsal for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear installations.

Iran has warned that it would target Israel and its worldwide interests in case it comes under attack by the Tel Aviv.

The United States has always stressed that military action is a main option for the White House to deter Iran’s progress in the field of nuclear technology.

Iran has warned that in case of an attack by either the US or Israel, it will target 32 American bases in the Middle East and close the strategic Strait of Hormoz.

An estimated 40 percent of the world’s oil supply passes through the waterway.

Analysts say any US attack against Iran would most likely involve air strikes rather than any land invasion. Washington used its bases in regional countries to attack Iraq in 2003.

Maliki also”emphasized that Iraq will open all pending files with neighboring states and others in order to build sound relations with them,”the report said, adding that Iraq would be an”axis for positive relations with Iran”.

Iraq’s government said on Wednesday it wanted 3,500 members of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) in Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, to leave the country.

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

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 MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s.

Maliki is expected to meet Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his two-day visit.

January 5, 2009 0 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Maliki: Iraq to Expel MKO

TEHRAN (FNA)- Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed that he would expel the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) from the country after taking Based on taking over everything and in accordance with our constitution and our policies of opening up to our neighbors... our forces are going to take full control of the camp where the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization live over their base from US forces.

"Based on taking over everything and in accordance with our constitution and our policies of opening up to our neighbors… our forces are going to take full control of the camp where the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization live,"" Maliki said alluding to Camp Ashraf.

Maliki was speaking to reporters on the sideline of a ceremony during which the United States handed over to Iraqi forces security control of the Green Zone, symbol of the American occupation of the country.

The MKO "is a terrorist organization and thus cannot operate in Iraq because it will create a political crisis in contradiction with the constitution," Maliki said.

"We will treat them based on the international laws. We will not force them to go back (to Iran) but we will give them the opportunity to either go home, or to another country," he added.

"(Staying in) Iraq will not be an alternative for them," Maliki said.

Maliki, who was speaking ahead of a visit Saturday to Tehran, told Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in March that he would take steps to ensure that Iraq was not used by "terrorists" from Al-Qaeda, or from Iranian rebel groups.

US forces confiscated the organization’s weapons following the March 2003 US-led invasion, taking away some 300 tanks, many of which were subsequently given to the Iraqi armed forces.

Two years ago Iraq decided to restrict the movements of the estimated 3,500 MKO members to their base at Camp Ashraf, near the Iranian border, where they have been held under a kind of US-supervised house arrest.

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 US 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).

Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the camp are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations.

According to Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.

The group, 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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

The UK initiative, however, has prompted the European Union to establish relations with the exiled organization now based in Paris. The European Court of First Instance threw its weight behind the MKO in December and annulled its previous decision to freeze its funds.

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.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s.

FNA- 2009-01-03

January 5, 2009 0 comments

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 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Iraq Seeks to Send Terrorist Group Out

Iraq said on Wednesday it wants thousands of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) members at a camp north of Baghdad to leave the country, although it does not plan to expel them by force.

Iraqi forces take over responsibility for Camp Ashraf, home to 3,500 MKO terrorists, on Jan. 1 as part of a bilateral deal governing the presence of US troops who guarded the camp in the past.

The US embassy said this week some US troops will remain at the camp to help Iraqi authorities protect it after it passes to Iraqi control, but the MKO members say they fear Baghdad may still try to shut it and drive them out.

US forces declared the MKO terrorists “protected persons” after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam. Baghdad and Washington both consider the exiles to be a terrorist group.

“The Iraqi government will deal with the people in this camp in a humane way and according to internationally adopted standards, the Iraqi constitution and Iraqi laws,” Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

“The government of Iraq does not have any intention to expel the people of this organization or force them to leave Iraq. But it calls on those people to find another place outside Iraq in any state that may accept them as refugees, or for those who wish to return to Iran to go of their own free will,” it said.

“Iraq is no longer a suitable place for them because the Iraqi constitution does not permit dealings with an organization classified as a terrorist group.”

Meantime, a senior Iraqi official said Iraq has decided to shut down the Camp Ashraf as soon as possible, expel the MKO members from Iraq and close their file forever. Political advisor of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), Mohsen Al-Hakim told the Islamic republic news agency that Baghdad considered the MKO as a terrorist group.

Most of its members are based in Ashraf Camp north of Baghdad. According to Al-Hakim, continued presence of the terrorist group in Iraq would be against Paragraph 33 of the Resolution 687 of the United Nations Security Council.

It would also be against the Iraqi Constitution, decisions made by the country’s presidency council and approvals of the Iraqi parliament, added the advisor.

The Paragraph 33 of the UN Security Council resolution, approved in April 3, 1991, required the government of Iraq to expel all terrorist groups that are present in the country.

The MKO members have two options of either returning home or leaving for another country but they cannot remain in Iraq any longer, Al-Hakim said stressing that the terrorist group was legally in an unclear situation as its members are neither considered refugees nor prisoners of war.

According to reports by human rights advocates, former members of MKO who returned home were living in good conditions, Al-Hakim added.

The advisor stressed that the grouplet has been barred from conducting all political, social and media activities on Iraqi territory. He added that an Iraqi battalion was currently in charge of providing external security of Ashraf Camp while its internal affairs are undertaken by the foreign nationals department of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

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

Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the camp are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations. According to Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.

In recent months, high-ranking MKO members have been lobbying governments around the world in the hope of acknowledgement as a legitimate opposition group. The UK initiative, however, has prompted the European Union to establish relations with the exiled organization now based in Paris. The European Court of First Instance threw its weight behind the MKO in December and annulled its previous decision to freeze its funds.

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 MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s.

Iraq Seeks to Send Terrorist Group Out

January 4, 2009 0 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Iraq to expel Iran rebels as it takes over camp from US

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Thursday that he would expel an Iranian armed opposition group from the country after taking over their base from US forces.

"Based on taking over everything and in accordance with our constitution and our policies of opening up to our neighbours… our forces are going to take full control of the camp where the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) live," Maliki said.

The PMOI "is a terrorist organisation and thus cannot operate in Iraq because it will create a political crisis in contradiction with the constitution," Maliki said.

"We will treat them based on the international laws. We will not force them to go back (to Iran) but we will give them the opportunity to either go home, or to another country," he added.

"(Staying in) Iraq will not be an alternative for them," Maliki said.

Last month the White House said it received assurances from Baghdad that the rebel group will not be expelled to a country where they may be persecuted, apparently excluding their return to Iran.

US forces confiscated the organisation’s weapons following the March 2003 US-led invasion, taking away some 300 tanks, many of which were subsequently given to the Iraqi armed forces.

Two years ago Iraq decided to restrict the movements of the estimated 3,500 PMOI members to their base at Camp Ashraf, near the Iranian border, where they have been held under a kind of US-supervised house arrest.

Described as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, the PMOI, which was founded in 1965, has many supporters in the US Congress and British parliament.

Group members fought alongside Iraqi forces in the 1980-1988 war between Iraq and Iran and then settled in Iraq.

January 3, 2009 0 comments

Iraq

Iraq plans to close Iranian dissidents’ border camp

Base was used in sabotage and assassination sorties

US fostered sect as tool for regime change in Tehran

Iraq plans to close a camp for Iranian dissidents who used to cross into Iran to mount assassinations and sabotage – a decision that has sharpened political differences between Baghdad and Washington.

Camp Ashraf, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, came under Iraqi control yesterday in a broad security handover that forms part of the US withdrawal agreement concluded late last year.

Iraq’s national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, led a delegation of defence and interior ministry officials to the camp last weekend, warning its 2,500 male and 1,000 female inmates that "staying in Iraq is not an option". The Iraqi government said it "is keen to execute its plans to close the camp and send its inhabitants to their country or other countries in a non-forcible manner".

US troops disarmed the opposition group known as the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) after the 2003 invasion. They removed hundreds of armoured vehicles donated by Saddam Hussein but kept the camp intact because some Bush administration officials allegedly saw the MEK as a potential tool for regime change in Iran.

The Shia-led government in Baghdad has forged close relations with fellow Shias in Tehran and rejects such ambitions. It insisted that the US/Iraq security agreement contain a promise that Iraq would not be used for attacks on Iran or any other country.

Under the security deal Iraq yesterday took over the Green Zone and Saddam’s former presidential palace. The prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, declared a national holiday, saying it amounted to the moment when sovereignty was restored.

The MEK helped to bring the Shah’s overthrow but soon clashed with Ayatollah Khomeini and his drive to put clerics in charge of the country.

It now describes itself as "democratic and secular". Insisting the camp’s inmates have conducted no armed operations in Iran since 2001, Nasser Razii, a London spokesman for the group’s political arm, said: "Camp Ashraf provides hope to the Iranian nation and keeps the flame of resistance burning. We want to keep it on the doorstep of our homeland."

The US and EU placed the MEK on their lists of terrorist organisations after 9/11. Last year Europe’s court of first instance ruled it should be removed from the EU list on the grounds it had not carried out terrorist activities for years. Lord Corbett, a Labour peer who has long supported the movement, and other British parliamentarians last month signed a letter to the Iraqi government urging it not to close Camp Ashraf. MPs in other European countries have made similar appeals.

Former members claim the MEK is a cult that forces members to break ties with their families, orders married couples to separate and demands they devote themselves totally to the movement. Closing the camp will restore members’ human rights and allow them to decide whether to resume normal life, they say. But MEK members fear they will be deported to Iran, a fear Baghdad says is groundless.

Independent visitors to Camp Ashraf report that the inmates live in segregated barracks-style rooms. The International Committee for the Red Cross says several hundred former MEK members have left Camp Ashraf since 2003. The ICRC has helped more than 250 cross the border to Iran after conducting private interviews with each to ensure they are going voluntarily.

In spite of MEK claims that returnees face arrest and imprisonment or have been offered unfair inducements by the Iranian authorities, the ICRC is continuing the repatriation programme. "If we had any allegations of ill-treatment of people who have returned to Iran we would follow up with the authorities in Tehran," said Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC spokesperson for the Middle East.

Jonathan Steele

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/02/camp-ashraf-closure-baghdad-iran

January 3, 2009 0 comments

Iraq

Iraq to close camp for Iranian dissidents and expel inmates

IRAQ PLANS to close a camp for Iranian dissidents who used to cross into Iran to mount assassinations and sabotage – a decision that has sharpened political differences between Baghdad and Washington.

Camp Ashraf, about 130km north of Baghdad, came under Iraqi control yesterday in a broad security handover that forms part of the US withdrawal agreement concluded late last year.

The Iraqi government said it was “keen to execute its plans to close the camp and send its inhabitants to their country or other countries in a non-forcible manner”.

US troops disarmed the opposition group known as the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) after the 2003 invasion. They removed hundreds of armoured vehicles donated by Saddam Hussein but kept the camp intact because some Bush administration officials allegedly saw the MEK as a potential tool for regime change in Iran.

The Shia-led government in Baghdad has forged close relations with fellow Shias in Tehran and rejects such ambitions. It insisted that the US/Iraq security agreement contains a promise that Iraq would not be used for attacks on Iran or any other country.

Under the security deal, Iraq yesterday took over the Green Zone and Saddam’s former presidential palace. Prime minister Nouri al- Maliki declared a national holiday, saying it amounted to the moment when sovereignty was restored.

The MEK helped to bring the shah’s overthrow but soon clashed with Ayatollah Khomeini and his drive to put clerics in charge of the country. Like almost every other political party and group that had created the revolution, it lost hundreds of members to torture and execution in the early 1980s.

It now describes itself as “democratic and secular”. Insisting the camp’s inmates have conducted no armed operations in Iran since 2001, Nasser Razii, a London spokesman for the group’s political arm, said: “Camp Ashraf provides hope to the Iranian nation and keeps the flame of resistance burning. We want to keep it on the doorstep of our homeland.”

The US and EU placed the MEK on their lists of terrorist organisations after the September 11th attacks. Last year, Europe’s court of first instance ruled it should be removed from the EU list on the grounds it has not carried out terrorist activities for years.

Lord Corbett, a Labour peer who has long supported the movement, and other British parliamentarians last month signed a letter to the Iraqi government urging it not to close Camp Ashraf. MPs in other European countries have made similar appeals.

Former members claim the MEK is a cult that forces members to break ties with their families, orders married couples to separate and demands total devotion. Closing the camp will restore members’ human rights, they say. MEK members though fear they will be deported to Iran, a fear Baghdad says is groundless.

The International Committee for the Red Cross has helped more than 250 to cross the border to Iran after conducting private interviews with each to ensure they are going voluntarily. – (Guardian service)

Irish Times – JONATHAN STEELE

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0102/1230842350664.html

January 3, 2009 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener(Ancient Iran, Glorious Future) on the occasion of Iraq government Confirmation in shutting down of the ASHRAF Garrison and supporting such an action

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener(Ancient Iran, Glorious Future) on the occasion of Iraq government Confirmation in shutting down of the ASHRAF Garrison

Paris/France – 2008/12/25 – We, the separated members and the victims of this in humane cult who have lost our pride of life under the captivity and detention of the cult operatives and conductors. So that, we had been under the worst psychological and physical tortures. Therefore, we urge the international organizations including U. N. and all Human Rights Organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Red Cross as well as ruling leaders of the democratic and progressive states to save the life of the remaining victims who include three thousand five hundred individuals. We call for under-mentioned human activities for the maintenance of the life of these victims:

1- We call for the permission of entry into the ASHRAF Garrison where has been as a place to torture the dissidents and others psychologically and physically for many years. The military camp that consists of numerous custodies with the intention of hush-up of the any opposition and dissidence towards the ideology of the cult leader called MASSOUD RAJAVI. As a result, the victim’s families can be able to enter this camp to meet their beloved ones freely.

2- We urge Iraqi govt. to establish the conditions to every resident of the ASHRAF Garrison to have the right to choose any kind of dressing, so that, nobody has to wear military uniform contrary to his or her will and tendency, so, everyone can enjoy the right to dressing.

3- we call for the conditions that every resident of this Military Garrison can be allowed to leave or enter this military camp according to his or her own willing so that, they can enjoy the right to trip to other cities of Iraq.

4- We ask Iraqi govt. to provide the facilities of communications such as T. V., Radio, Internet and Satellite for the ASHRAF Garrison residents to communicate the other parts of the world. The bitter reality is that they have been deprived of such facilities for many years.

5-We call on the Iraqi govt. for the inauguration and opening of a new camp as the old closed camp entitled TIPF so that, the residents can be able to leave this damned ASHRAF Garrison and take shelter in the new camp. Subsequently, they can access the international Human Rights Organizations for further actions including interview and meeting therefore they can determine their destiny and future life in an open air.

6-We call for a delegation of the Human Rights Organizations to refer this camp to contact the residents without the presence of the MOJAHEDIN officials as a result, further truths can be revealed for the world regarding the perpetrated cruelty and persecution by this cult.

7-we call for a medical delegation with supervision of Without Border Doctors to attend this Garrison to visit the whole residents so that, they can obtain real information regarding every ones’ psychological and physical conditions. Then, this delegation is being expected to donate human medical assistances for the in humane cult prisoners and captives.

8- We call for the isolation and separation of these cult commanders who are 200 persons and have been involved in several crimes including "brain washing" and controlling of the victims. Therefore, these operatives must be displaced and there must not be any ideological and organized monitoring so that the victims can enjoy the right to have the free choice of their fate and the path of the life and future.

We reiterate and believe that, locking up the gate of ASHRAF and abolition of this Garrison, is a significant step in rescuing the life of the thousands victims from ominous clutch of RAJAVI (cult’s leader) and his cult operatives. Undoubtedly, RAJAVI is concern of such a condition and endeavoring therefore he and his cult operatives continue to keep the victims forcibly in the ASHRAF GARRISON by all means.

With the best wishing for the freedom of the whole captives and victims in the detention of RAJAVI’s cult and joining these victims to the free world.

Peres ET EVENER (ANCIENT IRAN, GLORIOUS Future)

January 3, 2009 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

MKO claims to win US protection

The Mujahedin Khalq Organization claims that the US has granted it immunity amid reports that Iraq will soon take charge of the group.

A US embassy statement said on Sunday that Iraq would take charge of Camp Ashraf, MKO’s headquarters and training site, as of Jan. 1, 2009. The statement, however, added that a US force will be present in the camp.

It also said that Washington and Baghdad will work to”assist the camp residents in securing a safe future”.

MKO leaders said on Monday that the US embassy statement was a”real victory”, indicating that the members of the group fell under Washington’s protection and could remain in safety.

“It means the United States has recognized its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our people in Ashraf,”an MKO leader said.

Earlier, in a statement on Dec. 21, the Iraqi government called on the MKO members to leave the country in a”non-forcible”manner. Iraq”plans to shut down the camp and to either deport its population to their country or to a third country,”read the statement.”Remaining in Iraq is not an option for them.”

Following the Iraqi government’s statement, a White House spokesman, Benjamin Chang, said that the US received guarantees from Baghdad that MKO members residing in Iraq would not be”forcibly transferred”to a country where they may face charges.

An Iraqi official, however, disputed the claims, indicating that no security guarantees had been granted to MKO members.

“The Iraqi government is determined to abide by a parliamentary verdict to extradite members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization,”IRIB quoted the high-ranking Iraqi official as saying on condition of anonymity on Saturday.

The MKO, blacklisted by both the US and the EU, moved to Iraq in 1986, where it enjoyed the support of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the fall of Saddam Hussein, the group came under the protection of the United States.

Iran has repeatedly called for the expulsion of the terrorist group from Iraq. The group is responsible for launching operations against Iran during the Iraq-Iran war from Camp Ashraf. It also masterminded a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran.

January 1, 2009 0 comments

Iraq

Iraq to close MKO camp in Iraq

Iraq has decided to shut down the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) Ashraf Camp as soon as possible, expel the MKO members from Iraq and close their file forever, said a senior Iraqi official.

Political advisor of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), Muhsin Al-Hakim exclusively told IRNA that Baghdad considered the MKO as a terrorist group.

Most of its members are based in Ashraf Camp north of Baghdad.

According to Al-Hakim, continued presence of the terrorist group in Iraq would be against Paragraph 33 of the Resolution 687 of the United Nations Security Council.

It would also be against the Iraqi Constitution, decisions made by the country’s presidency council and approvals of the Iraqi parliament, added the advisor.

The Paragraph 33 of the UN Security Council resolution, approved in April 3, 1991, required the government of Iraq to expel all terrorist groups that are present in the country.

According to reports by human rights advocates, former members of MKO who returned home were living in good conditions, Al-Hakim added.

The advisor stressed that the grouplet has been barred from conducting all political, social and media activities on Iraqi territory.

He added that an Iraqi battalion was currently in charge of providing external security of Ashraf Camp while its internal affairs are undertaken by the foreign nationals department of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

MKO is known as a terrorist group for conducting violent operations in Iran.

It is labeled a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and many other countries.

Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organisation while most of those still remaining in the camp are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

January 1, 2009 0 comments

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