The government of Iraq, along with Iranian exiles [MKO/MEK/PMOI], is called on to honor the spirit of a resettlement agreement, a U.S. State Department official said.Baghdad and the United Nations signed a memorandum of understanding in December outlining the voluntary relocation of members of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran from their Camp Ashraf enclave …
The United States is concerned by the Government of Iraq’s reference on July 31 to the possible closure of Camp Ashraf by involuntary relocation of its residents…We also call on the Ashraf leadership to immediately resume cooperation with the relocation .. it is clear that the quality of life at Hurriya exceeds accepted humanitarian standards.
Iraq on Tuesday told them they have to move or it would be free to transfer them “to where we find appropriate,” as Iraq’s National Security Advisor Falih al-Fayadh put it… Ventrell said U.S. government officials who have recently visited Camp Liberty did not find the “dire humanitarian conditions” that MEK/MKO/PMOI members had alleged…
The U.N. chief is urging some 1,200 Iranian exiles who are refusing to leave Camp Ashraf to cooperate with Iraqi authorities and resettle in a new refugee camp near Baghdad. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday also urged other countries to give asylum to the People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran aka MKO/MEK/PMOI..
“We have reached a dead end (with them[MKO/MEK/PMOI]) and the extension ends today,..”The Iraqi government does not define involuntary transfer as being through violence or the use of weapons,”Fayadh told the conference.Iraq said it will observe a grace period of”a few days”to allow foreign governments to offer the group sanctuary or to suggest other solutions to the dispute.
An International Conference will be held in Baghdad tomorrow [July31,2012] devoted to highlight the position of Iraqi government regarding eliminating the existence of the PMOI elements on Iraqi territory.”The countries that will attend the conference are (U.S. / UK / EU / Australia / Canada / Russia / China / Japan / in addition to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees…
UNHCR called on countries to cooperate by allowing for re-admission of individuals having had previous links with them, ..UNHCR appealed to States for financial support, including for the host country to meet costs associated with transferring, hosting, housing, assisting and processing the cases of these individuals until solutions have been found.
The United States supports the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq’s (UNAMI) “Roadmap,” which suggests remaining steps for the closure of Camp Ashraf and builds upon the work that has produced the safe relocation of almost two-thirds of the residents from Ashraf to Camp Hurriya. We urge the leadership of Camp Ashraf and the Government of Iraq to cooperate in moving forward with this plan, ..
The roadmap has been designed to address the concerns of both the residents[of camp Ashraf] and the Government of Iraq, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said in a news release, adding that its roadmap outlines preparations to be made and a “step-by-step approach for the relocation,” which addresses issues such as water and power supply and other humanitarian needs.
Time is running out to find a sustainable situation,” Mr. Kobler said, urging the Camp Ashraf residents to cooperate with the Iraqi authorities and to relocate. He also urged Member States to offer resettlement to eligible former Ashraf residents, as “without prospect for resettlement the ongoing process runs the risk of collapsing.”..