The first group of residents of Temporary Transit Location (Camp Liberty) has ultimately moved to Albania. After 15 months of residence in TTL, the leaders of the Mujahedin e Khalq allowed 14 members of the group to leave
The government of Albania made the offer for asylum to the MKO members on March 16, 2013 but the group immediately rejected the Albanian humanitarian offer. At the time, the group spokesman told the AP that the group “could not accept an offer of asylum for only a small portion of the group”. [2]He called the offer as nothing new and not enough.
Contrary to the MKO’s reaction to Albanian suggestion, the World Community including the US State Department welcomed the "generous" offer by the Government of Albania and asked the MKO leadership to accept the offer immediately and cooperate with the UNHCR in order to facilitate the residents’ relocation it third countries, in this case Albania. “We further urge the MEK leadership to place the highest priority on the safety and security of the former residents of Ashraf through full and unconditional cooperation with the resettlement process,” said Victoria Nuland, the US State department spokeswoman. "The United States strongly supports the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), UNHCR, and the Special Representative of the Secretary General Martin Kobler.”[3]
Besides, the United State, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the EU chief of Foreign Policy, Catherine Ashton supported both the Albania’s offer and the UN Special Representative Martin Kobler.
Faced with the highest support by the world community for the offer of the Albanian Government, the MKO leaders found no way out to turn down the offer although they had consistently refused to leave Iraq. Ghorban Ali Hosseinnejad former member of the MKO and personal interpreter of Massoud Rajavi posted a status on his Face Book profile and congratulated “the start of the end of Rajavi’s captives”. He quoted from an insider in Camp Liberty that the fourteen individuals were actually selected by the cult authorities.
As Hosseinnejad states, Massoud Rajavi has recently published an internal message in Camp Liberty by which he has boycotted any sort of thinking of interview with UNHCR considering it as “treason to martyrs’ blood.” He has allegedly tried to make members refuse to attend interviews with UNHCR which is “ideologically” boycotted by Massoud Rajavi according to the former member.
After the departure of the 14 Ashraf residents, the United States again expressed “its appreciation to the Government of Albania for its generous humanitarian gesture” and urged “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.”Jen Psaki, the DOS spokesperson stated that the US reiterates its strong support for the efforts of UNHCR, UNAMI and Martin Kobler.[4]
Heated with the Press Statement of the US Department of State, the MKO propaganda arm, the NCRI accused Martin Kobler of deceiving the DOS. The NCR website also blame the Department that “instead of appreciating the efforts of the leadership of the people’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and the Iranian Resistance, who facilitates this transfer with tremendous efforts and heavy costs, targeted the victims.” It sounds that MKO leadership is the "victim" of the whole issue of Camp Liberty!
The NCR/MKO propaganda claims that “the State Department has been deceived by Martin Kobler and his fabricated reports.” The group’s propaganda arm goes further and claims that Kobler has invited the Islamic Republic “to meddle in the Albanian case and its efforts to limit the number of the residents accepted in Albania”. The claim is not based on any document like many other assertions the NCR publicizes on its website. To our surprise the news of the departure of the fourteen Ashraf residents was not covered in the MKO websites except the one to accuse Martin Kobler as a fraudulent figure who is able to fool the United States of America! These days the group misinformation is only focused on the upcoming Presidential elections in Iran. The MKO make futile effort to again and again use the opportunity to get on the waves of likely debates among Presidential candidates.
By Mazda Parsi
References:
[1]The Associated Press, UN: 14 Iranian exiles moved from Iraq to Albania, May 17, 2013 [2]Semini, Llazar, Albania offer for asylum to Iranian group rejected, the Associated Press, March 16,2013
[3]US Department of State, United States welcomes Government of Albania Resettlement offer for Former Camp Ashraf Residents, March 18, 2013
[4]US Department of State, 14 Camp Hurriya Residents Department for Albania, May16, 2013