A senior Iranian lawmaker blamed the western powers for their double standards on terrorism, cautioning that the West’s approach has strengthened terrorist groups in recent years.
"The United States and the EU recently delisted the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, NCR and PMOI) from their list of terrorist organizations, and now they want to list Hezbollah as terrorist entity," Member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Evaz Heidarpour Shahrezayi told parliament news agency on Monday.
The Iranian legislator described Israeli President Shimon Peres’ call on European Union to put Lebanese Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations as completely illogical.
"By lobbying with EU to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist entity, Israelis are trying to isolate the resistant group at the international level," he added.
"This is a clear manifestation of West’s double standard policy on the issue," he concluded.
The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).
Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the grouplet are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.
A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations.
According to the Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.
The group, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who argued for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.
The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in early September, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.
In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq’s Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty which lies in the Northeast of the Baghdad International Airport.
Camp Liberty is a transient settlement facility and a last station for the MKO in Iraq.
Iran has nothing to do with the recent rocket attack on Camp Liberty, the transient settlement facility of the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCR) in Iraq, an Iranian spokesman said.
Media reports alleged that Katyusha rockets fired on the Camp Liberty near Baghdad have killed five members of the MKO. About 40 members of the terrorist group were reportedly wounded in Saturday’s attack, along with three Iraqi policemen.
Speaking to reporters here in Tehran today, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said that the attack was carried out inside Iraqi soil and "Iran has nothing to do with it".
He said that the move is part of the MKO’s efforts to portray itself as an oppressed community in a bid to postpone its expulsion from Iraq’s soil.
Mehman-Parast also called on the UN and Iraqi officials to rapidly implement the agreements on the expulsion of the MKO from Iraq.
The group, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly-established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who argued for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.
The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in early September, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.
In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq’s Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty which lies Northeast of the Baghdad International Airport.
The comments made by Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei are crystal-clear: No bilateral talks with the United States as long as Washington’s words do not match its deeds. Ayatollah Khamenei made the comments just days after US Vice President Joe Biden said Washington was prepared to hold direct talks with Iran.
Some Iranians also say there’s still a standing offer for talks under the right conditions. But for the talks to succeed, they say Washington has to ditch its anti-Iran policy and lift its unilateral sanctions against Iran.
Relations between Iran and the United States were severed in 1979 after the victory of Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of Iran’s pro-Western regime. Other factors behind the stalemate include Washington’s backing of the former Iraqi regime in its 8-year war against Iran in the 1980s, support for anti-Iran terrorist groups such as the Mojahedin Khalq Organization, assassination of Iranian officials and nuclear scientists, imposition of economic sanctions and financial restrictions, as well as funding anti-government political currents within the country.
Ghanbar Naderi,
Iran’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Gholam Hossein Dehqani called on the United Nations to hold an international conference attended by all countries’ high-ranking officials
to study ways of fight against terrorism.
"The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) assumes the present measures to counter terrorism in the international arena as to be inadequate and calls for increased movement by the international community in this regard," Dehqani who was addressing a UN Security Council meeting on behalf of the NAM said.
"Increasing multilateral cooperation among countries under the supervision of the UN can act as the most effective tool to counter international terrorism and therefore, NAM offers to hold an international summit under the UN supervision to study and give a shared response to terrorism and its different forms," he added.
Dehqani also condemned the politically-tainted and double-standard behavior of certain states towards terrorism, and describing it as an obstacle on the way of decisive campaign against terrorism.
In relevant remarks in December, Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi voiced Iran’s strong support for all-out cooperation in the war on terrorism, but meantime underlined the need for identification and removal of the root causes of this devilish phenomenon.
"Extremism, terrorism and violence is not acceptable any noble and rooted culture, religion or nation. The Islamic Republic of Iran as the biggest victim of terrorist operations in the region and the world in the recent years expresses its readiness for comprehensive cooperation in fighting terrorism," Rahimi said in the 11th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit meeting in Kyrgyz Capital city of Bishkek at the time.
He further stressed Tehran’s emphasis on "the identification and eradication of the roots" of terrorism as a main task which needs to be taken by the international community.
Iran has long been a victim of the US and Israeli terrorism, specially state-sponsored nuclear terrorism. The US and Israeli spy agencies have admitted that they have assassinated Iran’s nuclear scientists and tried to infiltrate virus and other types of malware into Iran’s cyber network to hinder the country’s progress in the field of civilian nuclear technology.
Western spy agencies, collaborated by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), have assassinated several Iranian scientists in the last three years.
The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).
Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the grouplet are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.
A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations.
According to the Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.
The group, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who argued for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.
The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in early September, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.
2013-01-16
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9107136313
West uses delisted MKO terrorists to achieve certain objectives: Iranian MP West uses delisted MKO terrorists to achieve certain objectives: Iranian MP
An Iranian lawmaker says the US and Canada move to take the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) off the list of terrorist organizations is in line with the West’s policy to use the group in order to achieve certain objectives in the region.
“The move by the Canadian and the US governments to remove the MKO from the list of terrorist organizations is in line with Western countries’ support of this group in order to use its remaining members for achieving their meddlesome and aggressive political and economic objectives in the region,” Mohammad-Hassan Asafari, a member of Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Friday.
He said that the group was nurtured by Washington and added the US government’s terrorist nature in the region requires that it financially and militarily support terrorist groups like MKO, Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Asafari said that Iran will reconsider its political, economic and cultural relations with any country that would shelter the group, adding that MKO members must be extradited to the Islamic Republic.
On December 20, the Canadian government removed the MKO from its official list of terrorist organizations. Ottawa’s move followed similar measures by the US and EU.
The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations on September 28. The European Union had taken the MKO off its black list in 2009.
The MKO is responsible for numerous acts of terror and violence against Iranian civilians and officials.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it received the support of Iraq’s executed dictator Saddam Hussein and set up its camp near the Iranian border.
Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, almost 12000 have fallen victim to the acts of terror carried out by the MKO.
The group also sided with Saddam during Iraq’s eight-year imposed war against the Islamic Republic. It is also known to have cooperated with Saddam in suppressing the 1991 uprisings in southern Iraq and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has warned Canada not to turn into a hub and a safe place for terrorists, which may jeopardize social security in that country.
According to IRIB World Service, Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement today and said the irresponsible act by the Canadian government is in contrary to the host country’s commitment to protect Iranian nationals residing in Canada and also in terms of safeguarding assets of Iranian government, referring to possible acts of violence and terror by MKO on Canadian soil.
The statement read that at a time when the international community and the world public opinion talked of terrorist as a main problem in the world and have drawn up certain commitments and obligations concerning campaign against such phenomenon, the ruling Canadian government has removed the name of terrorist outfit MKO from its list of terrorist groups.
The Iranian foreign ministry pointed out that with such a move, there would be no change in the terrorist nature of this grouplet, reminding that manipulation of terrorism, is in fact an open violation of internationally accepted commitments and also a dangerous attempt which may damage peace and international security.
In continuation of hostile policies toward Iran, the government of Canada on Thursday removed the name of MKO from its list of terrorist groups.
Iranian MP Deplores Canada’s Blind Obedience to British Foreign Policy
A prominent member of the Iranian parliament censured Canadian officials for their blind support and obedience to Britain’s foreign policies, particularly in dealing with Iran’s issues.
"The Canadian government is not an independent government and all its measures are rooted in the British government’s moves," member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Saleh Jokar said Saturday.
He said Canada implements decisions made by the British government and follows up the UK in all fields, particularly in foreign policy.
On December 2o, the Canadian government announced that it has removed the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCR) from its official list of terrorist organizations.
The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).
A senior Iranian commander said that the US is moving on a path of decline, and added that the United States’ heavy spending to maintain its hegemony in the region has actually backfired as it has resulted in the interest of the Islamic Republic.
"It is now 10 years that the US has been spending money but earns nothing. That is why it has the largest debt, i.e. $16trillion, among the world governments," Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami said, addressing a conference here in Tehran on Sunday.
He pointed to the $3,000bln cost of the US war in Iraq, and said Saddam’s overthrow and expulsion of the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organizations (MKO), have gifted Iran with "political interests".
Salami further stated that the US has been defeated in all the wars that it has waged against other countries, while all its plots against Iran have failed.
"Thus, we believe that the US is through with the climax of its power and is now moving on a downward slope and its result will be seen soon," he concluded.
In relevant remarks earlier this month, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Iran enjoys such a powerful and vast regional influence that it cannot be ignored by the world powers
"In the past, Iran had been known as a US-backed power … but today it has reached a point that no world power can ignore its influence in the region," Larijani said at the time.
"Today, Ian has achieved a scientific and technological power that the West has resorted to adventurist moves against the Iranian nuclear and missile academy in the last few years to hinder this growing scientific trend," the Iranian speaker said.
Iran dialogue or US diplomatic detour?
It is very unfortunate to note that the United States has constantly sought to depict the Islamic Republic in the light of a tenacious nation resilient to any logic and dialogue whatsoever.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has emphasized the Islamic Republic’s readiness to hold negotiations on the country’s nuclear energy program in a win-win situation.
“We have repeatedly expressed our readiness and announced that we are ready for talks in a win-win situation.”
He added that Iran has never lost the “opportunity for diplomacy.”
Iranian officials are pessimistic about any upcoming dialogue with the US as they almost unanimously believe that Washington is not consistent in its policies and that it should first show some good will instead of resorting to an unacceptable bullying attitude. Spokesman for Iranian Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Hossein Naqavi Hosseini slams the contradictions between what Washington says and what it does and urges the US to show some goodwill if it ever seeks to hold talks with the Islamic Republic.
“The Americans are not honest in their words….there is no consistency in their words and actions.”
A historical look at Tehran-Washington relations testifies to the antagonistic nature of Washington in dealing with Iran.
According to Tim Guldimann, former Swiss ambassador to Tehran, Iran issued a proposal to the United States in May 2003 and called for negotiations on a number of issues.
Based on the proposal, the US should accept a dialogue “in mutual respect” and agree that Iran put the following aims on the agenda:
1) Halt US hostile behavior and rectifications of status of Iran in the US: (interference in internal or external relations, “axis of evil”, terrorism list.)
2) Abolishment of all sanctions: commercial sanctions, frozen assets, judgments (FSIA), impediments in international trade and financial institutions.
3) Iraq: democratic and fully representative government in Iraq, support of Iranian claims for Iraqi reparation, respect for Iranian national interests in Iraq and religious links to Najaf/Karbala.
4) Full access to peaceful nuclear technology, biotechnology and chemical technology.
5) Recognition of Iran’s legitimate security interests in the region with according defense capacity.
6) Terrorism: pursuit of anti-Iranian terrorists, above all the MKO and support for repatriation of their members in Iraq, decisive actions against anti-Iranian terrorists, above all MKO and affiliated organizations in the US.
However, the Bush administration rejected the proposal and exerted additional pressure on the Islamic Republic.
In August 2005, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom presented their proposal for a long-term agreement which was dismissed by Iran simply because it did not recognize Iran’s right to enrichment.
In 2010, Brazil and Turkey conducted a diplomatic initiative to broker the TRR (Tehran Research Reactor) fuel swap with Iran. It was agreed that the Islamic Republic of Iran deposit 1200 kg LEU in Turkey. In an April 20 letter to the leaders of the two countries, US President Obama said, “For us, Iran’s agreement to transfer 1,200 kilograms of Iran’s low enriched uranium (LEU) out of the country would build confidence and reduce regional tensions by substantially reducing Iran’s LEU stockpile. I want to underscore that this element is of fundamental importance for the United States.”
The fruit of the initiative was the May 17 Tehran Declaration agreed among Lula da Silva, Erdogan, and Ahmadinejad. While the trio recalled “the right of all State Parties, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy (as well as nuclear fuel cycle including enrichment activities) for peaceful purposes without discrimination”, they agreed:
1) The nuclear fuel exchange is instrumental in initiating cooperation in different areas, especially with regard to peaceful nuclear cooperation including nuclear power plant and research reactors construction.
2) Based on this point the nuclear fuel exchange is a starting point to begin cooperation and a positive constructive move forward among nations. Such a move should lead to positive interaction and cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear activities replacing and avoiding all kinds of confrontation through refraining from measures, actions and rhetorical statements that would jeopardize Iran’s rights and obligations under the NPT.
3) Based on the above, in order to facilitate the nuclear cooperation mentioned above, the Islamic Republic of Iran agrees to deposit 1200 kg LEU in Turkey. While in Turkey this LEU will continue to be the property of Iran. Iran and the IAEA may station observers to monitor the safekeeping of the LEU in Turkey.
4) Iran will notify the IAEA in writing through official channels of its agreement with the above within seven days following the date of this declaration. Upon the positive response of the Vienna Group (US, Russia, France and the IAEA) further details of the exchange will be elaborated through a written agreement and proper arrangement between Iran and the Vienna Group that specifically committed themselves to deliver 120 kg of fuel needed for the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR).
However, France, Russia, and the United States rejected the Tehran Declaration for reasons only known to themselves and easily comprehensible to others.
In 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made an unprecedented move and sent an 18-page letter to George W. Bush, the then US president, an act which was interpreted by some as an invitation to dialogue with the United States.
While the letter – thought to be the first from an Iranian president to a US leader since Iran’s 1979 revolution- addressed the paradoxical nature of Washington’s policies all across the world and addressed crucial issues such as the fake claim that Iraq possessed WMDs as a pretext to launch an invasion of the country, and billions of dollars spent from the common purse to inflict pain and misery upon the people of Iraq and America, it could have been used by the United States as a first step towards resolving an old-time gaping problem between the two countries.
Instead, Washington officials made a strategic mistake, ponderously ignored the letter and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed the letter as "offering nothing new" and the White House said there would be no formal written reply.
The letter was favorably received by many media channels. The Peninsula, a Qatari news site, saw it as "a taboo-breaking initiative … an opening-even if only slim-for the longtime foes to engage in a dialogue." Arab News of Saudi Arabia hailed it as "remarkable and encouraging … an unexpected diplomatic opening." Germany’s Der Spiegel calls it "a deft move for Ahmadinejad’s image in the Middle East."
After all, the letter was a good sign that Iran was interested in talks but on equal terms and in an ambience of mutual respect, a condition the US has spitefully declined.
In a sudden turn of events, however, things seem to be taking a new spin and the US has made some gestures to the effect that it wishes a direct talk with the Islamic Republic. A recent report indicates that US President Barack Obama is planning to propose to Iran that it negotiate directly with the Americans about its nuclear program. According to the report, Obama’s move was made without any coordination or consultation with Israel and that Washington will allow a period of four to five months for negotiations with Tehran. If the talks fail, the report says, they may then resort to the military option.
Be that as it may, so far, the Islamic Republic has taken constructive steps towards talks with Washington in order to allay international concerns and resolve any ambiguities surrounding its nuclear program and each time Washington has embarked on a crooked diplomatic detour and has demonstrated a strong penchant for political approach-avoidance.
Does it not mean that Iran’s nuclear issue is not an issue at all but part of their pretext to persevere in its path of political pungency?
By Ismail Salami
An Iranian lawmaker has criticized the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recent call on countries to grant asylum to the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).
“The MKO terrorist cell is under the guardianship and leadership of the US, and the UN chief has asked UN member states to give asylum to the MKO based on a direct order from this country (US),” said Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani on Sunday.
“Ban Ki-moon took office with help from the West and the US and, therefore, to maintain his position, he has no choice but to follow their orders,” the member of the Majlis Foreign Policy and National Security Committee added.
“This cell has been reared by Western and particularly US dollars, and has turned into a major challenge for all world countries today. Neither Iran, nor Iraq, and not even the Western governments or the US want to accept the members [of this cell],” Ardestani stated.
The lawmaker noted that the US wants to settle MKO members in one of Iran’s neighbors like Turkey or Azerbaijan so that it can use them when necessary to carry out acts of sabotage and to create problems.
The MKO, which is responsible for the deaths of 17,000 Iranians since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, fled to the neighboring Iraq in the 1980s. The group received military training from former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and set up Camp Ashraf in the eastern province of Diyala near the Iranian border.
On September 21, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent Congress a classified communication about removing the MKO from the US terror watch list.
The group, which had been described by the US State Department as a "foreign terrorist organization” for the past 15 years, was formally removed from Washington’s list of terror organizations one week after Clinton’s communication.