BAGHDAD – Tehran’s chief diplomat in Baghdad has said that Iraq is serious about handing over MKO ringleaders to Iran.
Hassan Qazemi Qom told the Mehr News Agency that the Iraqi government is determined to expel the MKO group and it has already taken steps in this regard.
According to Iraqi resources about 3,400 MKO members are held at Camp Ashraf in Diyala province near the border with Iran.
Qazemi Qomi said since the Iraqi people are worried about the behavior of this group in their country and the Iraqi government has put the expulsion of the group on its agenda.
“In recent months a number of hypocrite members have left Iraq and certain have returned to Iran,” the ambassador noted. “We expect the Iraqi government to expedite its efforts in expelling the hypocrites.”
Mojahedin Khalq Organization are referred to as hypocrites in Iran.
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 fought Iran from there until the United States invaded the country in March 2003.
The group was also involved in the suppression of the Iraqi people during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Extradition of criminals
The envoy said during the Iranian parliamentary delegation’s visit to Iraq a number of lawmakers sitting on the Majlis Legal Committee exchanged views with the Iraqi side on signing a deal on extraditing criminals.
Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani made a five-day tour of Iraq at the head of a parliamentary delegation from November 4 to 8.