Iraq’s Media Development Centre held a conference in Baghdad on the government’s decision to expel the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group. A number of Iraqi popular as well as media figures attended the conference, held in Baghdad Al-Mansour Hotel, to express their views on the issue, Habilian Association (families of Iranian terror victims) news website quoted Iraq’s Media Development Centre as reporting.
Dr Adnan Siraj, head of Iraq’s Media Development Centre, Dr Hassan Salman, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Iraqi Media Network (IMN), Dr Tariq Harb, Iraqi well known lawyer, Dr Ali Shalah, member of the Board of Trustees of the IMN, and Eng. Layla Tamimi were the main guest speakers.
“Iraq doesn’t recognize the MKO”
“The MKO cooperated with Iraq’s enemies through holding meetings with Iraqi dissidents following the fall of Saddam Hussein. This led to the government’s decision to expel any terrorist groups, including the MKO, from the country,” Dr Adnan Siraj said.
“The MKO has forgotten that it is a terrorist group recognized neither by Iraq nor the rest of the world. They were doomed to leave Camp Ashraf in December 15 so that they would be moved to any country who would accept them. Camp Ashraf, the cult’s main base in Diyalah province, will turn into a public entertainment centre for the local people,” Siraj added.
“MKO not asylum-seekers”
“At one time, the MKO had tanks and light and heavy artillery and moved to Iraq upon a political decision by the then Iraqi regime at the height of Iran-Iraq war. There was also a Western agreement behind this. Therefore, the cult members cannot be regarded as asylum-seekers, since they left Iran for France and then were moved to Iraq by France and Britain,” Dr Hassan Salman said.
“The cult’s presence in Iraq thus could be regarded as a political, military and security decision. The MKO is regarded as a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries,” Salman said, who was recently threatened to death by the terrorist cult.
“The cult didn’t enter Iraq as usual asylum-seekers but as a result of a political decision to be used against Iranian and Iraqi people,” Dr Ali Shalah repeated referring to problems made by the MKO’s presence in Iraq.
“Iraq’s decision backed by international law”
“The Iraqi government’s decision to expel terrorist groups is backed not only by the Iraqi Constitution but also international law,” Dr Tariq Harb insisted.
“According to the international law, any country can make their own laws on giving asylum. The MKO terrorist cult has no lawful right to stay in Iraq,” Harb reminded.
“MKO involved in Iraqi massacres”
“The MKO has committed the most savage crimes against Diyalah people. They were involved in killing and torturing the 1991 Iraqi Shiite Intifada activists close to the Iranian border in Khaniqain Road and north Diyalah. So there’s no end to their terror efforts and it is a military force used by Saddam Hussein against the Iraqi nation,” Eng. Layla Tamimi said.