The report of meeting Director of UNHCR’s Middle East Affairs
Habilian association Secretary-General met and talked to Mr. Hamdi Bokhari, Director of UNHCR’s Middle East Affairs, in seat of this organization in Geneva on Friday morning 2006-09-29.
In this meeting Mr. Seyed Javad Hasheminejad, with appreciation of humanitarian activities of this institution, explained the association’s aims and activities and delivered the documents and cultural and investigative productions of association to him that use them for survey and holding in commission.
Mr. Hasheminejad said to Mr. Bokhary:
“We appreciated the role and cooperation of Red Cross in help to return of MKO’s members, who have requested to return their country, in a meeting with one of Red Cross authorities and also thank you and UN to make situation for penitent people of organization to return to their families.
Our group has been formed to struggle with terrorism routs and undoubtedly, one of its ways is remove of MKO terrorist base.
Some bodies claimed that should grant refugee status to Camp Ashraf but in our opinion, it cause to improve terrorism culture. We should make conditions as soon as possible that organization’s members return to their country. About 1500 of members have been returning to Iran during last 15 years and during recent one or two years about 500 persons from total of 4000 Camp Ashraf members, have separated. The fact is that 10 percent of them are criminal and others, according to Iran responsibles remarks, can return to join their families. Although our group was formed to meet hurt families rights from terrorism and follow terrorist crimes but because we also dealing with MKO issue, about 100 of members families contacted us and demanded to help them to return of their children during a last year. I transfer their message and concern to UNHCR. These concerns have increased specially after publish the reports of some sources, such as Human Rights Watch organization, based on torture and imprison of organization members about persons, who demanded to return the country.
I hope some conditions will be prepared for families that can enter Camp to visit their children without organization’s pressure and supervision.
But now, our aim of this meeting is for reveal some rumors about propagandas of Mujahedeen-e Khalq based on that UNHCR have a role in their present status and also know the commission’s future policy in relation to them”.
After that Mr. Hamdi Bokhari praised association’s annual functions and encouraged the members to continue and specially cooperation with commission.
Mr. Bokhari also appreciated and thanked Habilian association because of their attention to the organization members and their return and also that tried to visit and contact them; and at the end of meeting, delivered him different documents and evidences about organization and terror victims.
Director of UNHCR’s Middle East Affairs announced that:
“We don’t have agency, like Red Cross, in Iraq and I work with numbers of our assistances on this issue in here, we accepted that you come and we listen to all things. This is a great process and we are bound to grant refugee status to asylum seekers and our activities are also peaceful, but high commission grant refugee status just to citizenry but Ashraf is a belligerent city and we don’t give refugee to warriors. This method of us is for the entire world; at first they should give their request and the request should be personal not governmental and not be related to any organization but they don’t have these conditions in Ashraf.
These are official militants and being limited protected under Geneva Convention until determination of their status.
There is no difference before and after the war, Saddam might be gave them refugee but now is difference and related to Iraqi government that has given refugee to them. They are under support of US after the war and we didn’t have any interference in this case.
The members of MKO can get refugee status under three conditions:
1. Cutting ties with Mujahedeen-e Khalq organization
Have no relation with any military and terrorist organization
Giving pledge not to return to previous status, it means that Red Cross should guarantee that they don’t return to previous status and there not be any threat for countries.
We were also informed about return of most of them but don’t have any information about numbers of them, we talked about their return with territory countries, like Iran government that if members of this group exit and have conditions, we can help them.
We don’t have any agency in Iraq now, we are negotiating with US. Some of them came personally and gave the request and we are granting refugee status to them, in fact they separated of this group and their refugee is personal and we also speak about them not their organization.
They also themselves like to return but not to Iran and it’ll also change in future.
Your group can be fruit bearing in Iran, we also have close relation with Red Cross because they also try that their members return to their houses.
Your group can help us and Red Cross to return of them, we don’t have access to Iraq’s Red Cross. If they want to return, Red Cross should guarantee it that if they return to Iran, would not be changed to their previous status because if they are deported from Iraq, we wouldn’t know how should help them.
We have a great office in Iran and you can contact and help them to return of them. UN family also likes that terrorism being ended and the world become safe from their activities”.
“Do you know why organization members burned themselves and how people they are?” Mr. Bokhary asked in finally.
“They are unaware and ignorant people that became puppet of criminal leaders and the leaders make them do these actions to win international bodies’ attention and put pressure on humanist institutions.
Claim of granting refugee and some things like that by UN or Red Cross is also a trap that this organization tries to put the international bodies against Iraqi government and use this trap for several”. Mr. Hasheminejad replied
Habilian Association, October 12, 2006