Iraq

Iraq urges foreign states to accept Iranian rebels

Iraq has appealed to foreign countries to accept members of an Iranian opposition group, which has been based in Iraq for about two decades but which Baghdad sees as a terrorist group and a diplomatic liability.

Iraqi officials and the People’s Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI) have been at loggerheads for years. The PMOI has run a high-profile campaign alleging abuses by the Iraqi government, and Iraq has labelled its members terrorists and liars.

The PMOI began as a group of Islamist leftists opposed to Iran’s shah but fell out with Shi’ite clerics who took power after the 1979 revolution.

Allowed to operate in Iraq by Saddam Hussein, who waged war with Iran in the 1980s, the group has been less welcome under the new Shi’ite-led government, which has mostly warm ties with neighboring Shi’ite Iran.

"We do not wish to take responsibility for the sin of the presence of a terrorist organisation in Iraq, which causes us domestic problems and problems with countries of the region," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters.

"We ask the international community … to find another place for them other than Iraq," he added.

No country has yet come forward, Dabbagh said. The United States views the PMOI as a terrorist group, but the European Union agreed to take the group off its list of terrorist organisations following a protracted legal battle.

Human rights groups say forcing the 3,500 PMOI members out of their base at Camp Ashraf in northeastern Iraq would violate international law. The PMOI says Iraqi forces have beaten them, blocked aid and besieged their camp, charges Iraq denies.

There has been speculation that an unmanned Iranian aircraft that U.S. forces say they shot down over Iraq in February may have been monitoring PMOI activity.

Dabbagh did not confirm whether the downed aircraft was a drone or where it came from, but said Iraq placed high importance on maintaining good ties with Iran.

"With have joint concerns, problems, and want to develop our relationship and remove the fuse from any crisis that may happen," he said when questioned about the drone. (Additional reporting by Missy Ryan, Writing by Mohammed Abbas: Editing by Richard Balmforth)

March 26, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

MKO Members Bribe Iraqi Politicians

"Available intelligence reports, which are very accurate, indicate that several political figures and groups have taken bribes from the MKO in exchange for their support," Iraqi National Security Advisor Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, said in remarks translated from Arabic.

"From a legal perspective, these briberies have reached a stage where they can be considered criminal activity," Rubaie told reporters following a Saturday meeting with top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, press tv reported.

However, the senior Iraqi advisor refrained from implicating any particular individual.

Rubaie said that Baghdad does not recognize the MKO cult to be a legal group nor is it allowed to carry out its activities in Iraq.

"Those 3,418 individuals who are currently residing at Camp Ashraf in the Diyala province are there as Iranian nationals," he explained.

Rubaie pointed out that although Iraq will not force occupants of Camp Ashraf to return to Iran, many of them are willing to go back to their homeland voluntarily.

The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

Before an overture by the EU, the MKO was on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visited Brussels and despite the ban enjoyed full freedom in Europe.

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 camp 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In recent months, high-ranking MKO members have been lobbying governments around the world in the hope of acknowledgement as a legitimate opposition group.

The UK initiative, however, prompted the European Union to establish relations with the exiled organization now based in Paris. The European Court of First Instance threw its weight behind the MKO in December and annulled its previous decision to freeze its funds.

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 also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s.

In August 2008, the Iraqi parliament passed a resolution setting a six-month deadline for all MKO members to leave the country or face possible expulsion.

Tehran has pardoned several former MKO members who have expressed remorse, allowing them to return to the country.

March 26, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iraq wants Iranian opposition out

BAGHDAD, Xinhua – Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Monday that Iraq wanted to expel the Iranian rebel Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO) that opposes the Islamic regime.

Talabani made the remarks in a joint news conference with Iran’s former president and current Expediency Council head Ali Akbar Hashemi who arrived here earlier in the day for a visit.

Speaking to the reporters, Talabani accused the MKO, also known as the PMOI (People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran) of supporting former Saddam Hussein regime and Iraq wants Iranian opposition camp out committing crimes against Iraqis.

"We here in Iraq, our constitution prohibit the presence of any foreign armed group in Iraq and the Iraqi people know that this organization is terrorist one," said the Iraqi president, adding "the Iraqi people want them out from Iraq."

MKO, a main militant group which was founded in 1981 with an aim to establish "a democratic and secular government" in Iran, bases in Iraq’s Diyala province in a camp named Camp Ashraf, which contains more than 3,000 Iranians opponents and their families.

The Shiite-dominated Iraqi government repeatedly demands MKO members to be removed from the country.

After the U.S.-led invasion, the U.S. troops disarmed the MKO fighters and since then, the camp became under the U.S. military police protection for five years before the Iraqi government partially took over security responsibility in the camp.

This is Rafsanjani’s first visit to Iraq since Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979.

Talabani met with the former Iranian president in his residence at the edge of the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad that houses the Iraqi government offices and some foreign embassies, including the U.S. one.

Rafsanjani is also expected to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other top Iraqi officials before touring holy cities in Iraq.

At the news conference, Rafsanjani said that his country "is entirely ready to support and cooperate with the Iraqi brotherly people."

Iraq and Iran fought a bloody eight-year war in 1980s, resulting in the loss of one million lives. The relation, however, has been picking up since the Saddam Hussein regime was toppled in2003 and the Shiite came into power.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/03/content_10930887.htm

March 3, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iranian Exiles, Iraq Govt Trade Accusations over Camp

Leaders of a group of Iranian exiles in Iraq, who are resisting attempts to make them leave the country, traded accusations with the Iraqi government yesterday after relatives were prevented from visiting them.
Leaders of the Iranian opposition group, which has been based at Camp Ashraf north of Baghdad for around two decades, said Iraqi security forces had stopped relatives from entering the camp to see family members.
“Iraqi forces stationed at the gates of Camp Ashraf on February 3 and during the past two days on February 9 and 10 prevented the entry of 15 relatives who were trying to see their loved ones in Ashraf,” the People’s Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI) said.
“(The Iraqi government) should not allow this inhumane treatment, which is desired by the Iranian regime, to take place in the name of the Iraqi government,” the group added, calling the actions of Iraqi security forces a breach of human rights.
Iraqi officials, who took over security at the camp from US forces this year, laid the blame on the PMOI.
“The Iraqi government received the families and facilitated their arrival and they were taken to the reception halls but the leaders at the camp refused to let the relatives see their families,” National security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said.
“(They) insisted that they should attend the meeting, without giving these families the freedom to privately see their relatives,” Rubaie added, also calling in his statement for international condemnation.
The statements from the opposite sides were impossible to reconcile.
The fate of Camp Ashraf’s 3,500 residents has been in the air since Iraq took it over from US forces this year.
Iraq’s Shia leaders are friendly with Tehran, and want it closed, but they say it will not be shut down by force.
Human rights groups say closing Ashraf and driving residents out against their will would violate international human rights law. They see it as a test of whether Iraq can meet its legal obligations as a member of the international community.
The government views the PMOI as terrorists, as do the US and Iran. But the group won an important victory last month when the European Union agreed to take it off its list of terrorist organisations.

Iraq Updates, February 14, 2009
http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/45168/refid/RSS-latest-13-02-2009

February 15, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Mojahedin Khalq outraged at Iraq’s trial decision

A front man for the MKO has protested against Iraq’s decision to bring to trial the leaders of the terrorist group, calling it ‘illegal’.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, a top member of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization, appeared on the Fox news TV channel after the Iraqi government promised prosecution for certain leaders of the group.
Jafarzadeh said Baghdad made the decision as it was under pressure from the government in Tehran.
In a Press TV program aired on Tuesday, Iraq’s National security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said the members of the MKO who had committed crimes against Iraqi civilians had to stand trial in Iraqi courts.
“Iran is prepared to provide legal evidence against these people and is prepared for their trial in Iraq by the Iraqi judicial system,” the Iraqi official said.
“We are going to do this in a humane way. We are going to stick and adhere to all international laws and regulations,” he said, adding that Iran was prepared to respect the court order on the MKO members.
The Iraqi government has vowed to expel the members of the group to their country Iran or send them to a third country, maintaining ‘staying in Iraq is not an option for them’.
Iran has long called for the expulsion of MKO members from their headquarters and training center, Camp Ashraf, in Iraq.
Tehran says the members of the group who have not participated in the organization’s terrorist activities are allowed to return home but others have to stand trial in Iran or outside the country.
Several members of the group have now defected from the organization and returned to Iran.
The MKO, blacklisted as a terrorist organization by many international entities and countries including the US, is responsible for numerous acts of violence against Iranian civilians and government officials as well as Iraqi people at the time of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

February 14, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Arrest warrants for 14 top MKO terrorist Leaders

Official: Baghdad soon to close MKO file He went on to say that Iraqi courts have issued arrest warrants for 14 MKO members.
Iraqi National Security Advisor Muvafaq al-Rubai said here Friday that Iraqi government will in next few months close dossier of the terrorist Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO).
“The MKO is a terrorist group and a cancerous tumor in Iraq; The crimes and sins the group has committed are evident and well-documented. Several thousand Iraqi citizens have fallen victims of the terrorist organization and we have provable evidence, that we will submit them to Iraqi courts,” said al-Rubai in an exclusive interview with IRNA.
He said the MKO was stationed in Iraq by former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein and contrary to then regulations in Iraq, getting involved in suppression of Iraqi people’s Intifadha in 1991 and massacre of Kurds and Shiites.
He added that after formation of popular government of Iraq, the MKO has taken provocative moves against legal government of the country over recent years.
He went on to say that Iraqi courts have issued arrest warrants for 14 MKO members.
On removal of the MKO from Europe’s list of terrorist organizations, he said the MKO case is complicated and the European courts have thus far removed the outfit from the terrorism list and re-entered them into the list three times.
He said that the MKO will soon be put in the EU terrorist list.
“We have asked the EU to contribute to settlement of problem with the MKO and their exit from Iraq; we have recently discussed the issue with ambassadors of the countries and they have vowed to cooperate.”

February 7, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

EU will take Mojahedin Khalq back to Europe

President Talebani: God willing, with the new EU attitude, they will take Mojahedin Khalq back to Europe
… Asked about National Security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay’i’s statement that the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization’s Camp Ashraf will be closed and a new security pact will be signed with Iran, Talabani says: "Dr Muwaffaq al-Rubay’i was not authorized to announce this because he is not the Iraqi Government’s spokesman. Dr Ali al-Dabbagh is the official spokesman. The Iraqi constitution rejects the presence of foreign armed forces on its land. It also rejects the presence of any non-Iraqi armed organization on its land be it Kurdish, Persian, or Turkish. We have always called for finding a solution to Camp Ashraf by closing it and finding safe places for those present in it. The Iraqi Government does not have the intention or legal international ability to hand them over to Iran. Iran made proposals to us. For example, it said it is ready to provide anyone of them wishing to travel to Europe with a passport. There is now a new attitude in Europe towards the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization. God willing, the European states will reach a solution according to which they will accept them there. This group’s stay in Iraq is no longer accepted by the people and government. I can tell you that the leadership of this group committed big mistakes in the past. It cooperated with the dictatorial regime in the fight against the Kurds and the Shi’is in the central and southern regions. Therefore, they were involved in the bloody Iraqi conflict. Accordingly, the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people want this group out of Iraq, but not by force or handover to Iran as reported. We reject this." …
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Iraqi president interviewed on elections, Obama’s message, domestic issues
Al-Arabiya TV, Dubai, in Arabic, February 01, 2009
Reported by: BBC Monitoring Middle East
["Frankly Speaking" programme, featuring an interview with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Al-Sulaymaniyah on 30 January by Elie Nakuzi in the studio – recorded]
Dubai Al-Arabiya Television in Arabic at 2004 gmt on 30 January carries a new 51-minute edition of its "Frankly Speaking" weekly programme, featuring an interview with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who is interviewed via satellite from Al-Sulaymaniyah on 30 January by Elie Nakuzi in the Dubai studio.
Talabani begins by responding to a question on his health. He denies what he calls "tendentious rumours" about his health and says he is fine.
Asked about US President Barack Obama’s message to the Islamic world through Al-Arabiya Television, Talabani says: "I think that the mere arrival of Mr Barack Obama at the White House was a major historic change. I also think that his new language, which is overflowing with friendly feelings and turn towards dialogue, bodes well. When Mr Obama took the constitutional oath, he did not hesitate to mention his name in full as Barack Hussein Obama. I think this, too, is a message to the Islamic world that he does not deny his relationship with it." He adds: "But there are many intricate problems the Islamic world and its leaders are requited to work on in order to facilitate the arduous task of solving the outstanding problems in the Islamic world."
When told that President Obama said he had "difficult and big decisions" to make on Iraq and that many think he would fulfil his promise to withdraw the US forces from Iraq, and asked if Iraq has apprehensions about a "prompt" US withdrawal from Iraq, Talabani says: "I have no fears about the gradual withdrawal Mr Barack Obama promised the American people during the electoral campaign. I think achieving security and stability in Iraq hinges on the unity of the political forces in a real national unity government and on the attainment of national reconciliation in Iraq. If these tasks are accomplished, security and stability will then prevail in Iraq. We can enforce the law and maintain security and stability in Iraq with the help of the Iraqi armed and police forces that we have now."
Asked about the Iraqi provincial council elections and the prime minister’s performance, Talabani says: "I think the Iraqi elections are going on normally. I take into consideration the fact that Iraq has not witnessed free and democratic elections for over 50 years. Therefore, we believe that elections are going on well. It is normal to exchange accusations during the electoral campaign, but we need evidence to prove interference by government agencies. Initial results do not support these accusations." He then hopes that no rigging will take place anywhere in Iraq.
On the difference between the past and current elections, Talabani says the current electoral lists do not depend on the sectarian factor because the Shi’i and Sunni coalitions are running in independent lists and platforms.
When told that opinion polls showed progress by seculars and moderates at the expense of sectarian and religious parties, and asked if he feels that the religious parties are retreating, Talabani says: "I cannot judge things now. I think the main influential forces continue to enjoy large popular support. I noticed progress by some secular parties. Also I noticed the appearance of several secular lists in the regions. This indicates there is progress."
Asked if the Iraqi religious authority supports one party against another, he says: "His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, may God protect him, is neutral and rises above party ideologies. He calls for the participation of the masses in the elections and for choosing the ones that can represent them in the most ideal way. Therefore, he does not side with a faction or group against another. I think he has always played this glorious historic role in all Iraqi issues."
Asked if it is true that there is retreat in the position and popularity of the Kurds in Mosul, Talabani says: "I do not think so. Also I cannot make an accurate assessment before the results of the elections are announced. True, the Kurds in Mosul were exposed to large displacement campaigns. Thousands of families were displaced and tens of thousands of people left their areas. The Yazidi Kurds were also exposed to unjust campaigns and brutal genocide. Therefore, we have to see a change, but I do not think there is a large change or retreat in popular support for the lists. The Kurds did not run independently in these lists. There are also Arab, Islamic, and non-Islamic Iraqi parties in these lists."
On the issue of Kirkuk and why it will not participate in the new elections, Talabani says some of the people who came to Kirkuk from other places will take part in the elections. He adds that the original people of Kirkuk will not participate because the problem of Kirkuk has not been solved yet. He says a census should be held to know which people are eligible for voting.
Continuing, he says: "I think it is possible to normalize the situation in Kirkuk. I visited Kirkuk some time ago and met there with the representatives of all communities and entities. They all expressed a desire to achieve national reconciliation and normalize relations among them and a desire to solve the issue of Kirkuk through accord among all."
Asked about "differences" between the Kurds and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Talabani says: "As you know, differences emerged over certain issues. I regret to see these differences reach the news media. As a president of the republic who works for accord, I had hoped that these differences would be restricted to the lobbies of parties and halls where cordial meetings are held. Differences are not large and intense as some circles say. There are differences, of course, over the issues for which five committees were formed. One of these is the political reform committee. The Iraqi parliament endorsed a political reform paper. This means there is need for political reforms in Iraq. The parliament endorsed this paper, which became a law when the Presidency Council signed it and it should be implemented by the government, parties, and parliament. There are also the issues of security, armed forces, oil, and disputed areas. Committees have been formed for all these in order to address the outstanding issues. This means all admit that there are outstanding issues and these require joint solutions in accordance with the Iraqi constitution and the democratic principles currently prevailing in Iraq. I think that the success of the five committees formed from five parties to solve these problems will lead to the resolution of all differences and, consequently, bolster Iraqi national unity. As a Kurd, I do not think there is any problem that cannot be solved because I think Arab-Kurdish brotherhood is firmly entrenched in history and joint Arab-Kurdish struggle is the only way to achieve the aims of the Kurds, Arabs, and other Iraqi citizens." He adds: "We all have to try to solve problems so that these will not get complicated or create difficulties for the Iraqi people."
On the way he views the performance of Prime Minister Al-Maliki, Talabani says: "Frankly speaking, brother Nuri al-Maliki is an old friend of mine. We struggled together to reach this memorable day. Our personal relationship is good and continuing. There are, however, differences in opinion over certain issues. These could sometimes be between me and him or between him and Mas’ud Barzani, but this is not alienation or hostile and conflicting differences that cannot be solved. I think they can be solved. I would like to tell you that during our last meeting we agreed to bolster relations between the Presidency Council members and the prime minister in the Executive Council and on the basis of the political reform document, which should serve as a programme for all. Accordingly, there are large areas for agreement and accord."
Asked about National Security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay’i’s statement that the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization’s Camp Ashraf will be closed and a new security pact will be signed with Iran, Talabani says: "Dr Muwaffaq al-Rubay’i was not authorized to announce this because he is not the Iraqi Government’s spokesman. Dr Ali al-Dabbagh is the official spokesman. The Iraqi constitution rejects the presence of foreign armed forces on its land. It also rejects the presence of any non-Iraqi armed organization on its land be it Kurdish, Persian, or Turkish. We have always called for finding a solution to Camp Ashraf by closing it and finding safe places for those present in it. The Iraqi Government does not have the intention or legal international ability to hand them over to Iran. Iran made proposals to us. For example, it said it is ready to provide anyone of them wishing to travel to Europe with a passport. There is now a new attitude in Europe towards the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization. God willing, the European states will reach a solution according to which they will accept them there. This group’s stay in Iraq is no longer accepted by the people and government. I can tell you that the leadership of this group committed big mistakes in the past. It cooperated with the dictatorial regime in the fight against the Kurds and the Shi’is in the central and southern regions. Therefore, they were involved in the bloody Iraqi conflict. Accordingly, the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people want this group out of Iraq, but not by force or handover to Iran as reported. We reject this."
Asked about the new security pact with Iran Al-Rubay’i mentioned in his statement, Talabani says: "I have no idea about it. It was an idea Dr Muwaffaq al-Rubay’i put forward. The idea was not studied by the Iraqi Government or parliament. Some officials sometimes make statements outside their jurisdiction and without consulting with the central government, presidency, or parliament. Iraq has not discussed such an issue."
On whether Iran is interfering in Iraq’s elections, Talabani says: "If interference means Iran sympathizes with some candidates and helps them financially, then I will not rule this out. However, if interference means actual daily and administrative interference, I will then rule this out."
Asked if he does not object to Iranian financial aid to some parties, he says: "I do not deny that some parties may have relations with and receive aid from Iran or Arab countries. Funds come to Iraq from all countries around Iraq. This phenomenon regrettably exists, but I do not exactly know who Iran, Syria, or Turkey is helping. These are secret issues that will later become known."
On Iranian-US ties during Obama’s administration, Obama says: "I believe that a serious US-Iranian dialogue will be in the interest of all. It will be in the interest of Iraq, Iran, and the United States." He adds: "I think the Americans and Iranians will use all cards on the table with regard to US-Iranian relations. Personally, I have no apprehensions because the Iraqi card is now in the hands of Iraq, especially after signing the SOFA [Status of Forces Agreement]. I have no apprehensions about any US-Iranian dialogue or negotiations and I do not think these will be at the expense of Iraq."
On Iraqi-Syrian relations, Talabani says: "Now I see a new atmosphere in relations between Syria and Iraq. During my recent meeting with President Bashar al-Asad in Kuwait, we agreed to bolster, develop, and expand these relations. We also appointed an ambassador to Syria to bolster these relations. We are now discussing the issue of renewing the oil pipeline across Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean. We are also trying to improve relations with Syria in other domains. I think Syria is aware of the importance of relations with Iraq. It knows that normal relations with Iraq are in its interest."
Asked if he supports the Saudi monarch’s statement in Kuwait about the Arab peace initiative and asked if he thinks this initiative is now dead, he says: "I do not think the initiative has died. I support what the custodian of the two holy mosques said. I think this initiative is present on the table, but as he said it will not be proposed for ever without a positive response from the Israeli side." He then urges the Israeli rulers to accept the Arab peace initiative, which he describes as "fair and balanced."
Asked if Al-Qa’idah is no longer present in Iraq, he says: "Al-Qa’idah has been much weakened. What is important is that the popular atmosphere that is hostile to terrorism is now large and extensive. The people began to realize that the crimes committed in the name of Islam, including crimes committed against humanity in the form of indiscriminate killing and crimes against the national economy, are all hostile to the Iraqi people. Therefore, people no longer support these operations or facilitate the work of terrorist organizations. On the contrary, people are now cooperating with the government forces in the fight against terrorists."
Asked why he asked Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih and Kurdistan Region Vice President Kusrat Rasul to take over party responsibilities in Al-Sulaymaniyah, he says: "This was done to facilitate the work of the political bureau and leaders present on the ground in Kurdistan so that the required decisions will not be delayed on the pretext that the president or secretary general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is absent. The aim is consolidating the principle of collective leadership in the PUK and facilitating the accomplishments and reforms that are required in the government, party, democratic organizations, and the society."
Concluding, Talabani addresses the Iraqis by saying: "I hope that the elections will lead to choosing true representatives of the Iraqi people. I hope these elections will be a new successful democratic experience in Iraq. I hope that my Iraqi sisters and brothers will actively participate in the elections and choose the ones they believe are qualified and capable of serving them. I think these elections will produce new facts. In the light of these facts, we expect the next parliament to be somehow different from the current one." He adds: "I greatly hope that these elections will usher in a new stage, especially after SOFA has been signed with the United States."

Al-Arabiya TV, Dubai, in Arabic

February 4, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iraq to Extradite Mojahedin Khalq Terrorists

Iraq to Extradite Mojahedin Khalq Terrorists to Iran

European Council to reward them for terrorism against Iran (and Iraq)
… While Iraq plans to extradite heads of Rajavi cult who have "Iranian blood on their hands", European council is to announce today if they are terrorist no more!! read related news and analysis …
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Iraq plans to extradite members of an anti-Iran terrorist group who have "Iranian blood on their hands," Iraq’s national security adviser said Friday during a visit to Tehran.
"Among the members of this group, some have the blood of Iraqi innocents on their hands (and) we will hand them over to Iraqi justice, and some who have Iranian blood on their hands we can hand over to Iran," said Muwafaq al-Rubaie.
He was referring to the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).
"Over 3,000 inhabitants of Camp Ashraf have to leave Iraq and the camp will be part of history within two months," Rubaie reiterated in a joint news conference with Saeed Jalili, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
"The only choices open to members of this group are to return to Iran or to choose another country," Rubaie said.
"We are acting under international humanitarian regulations and international laws. These people will themselves choose where they want go."
"Iran’s security cannot be threatened by any factor inside Iraq. Iran’s security is our own security," the Iraqi official underlined.
His words were translated from Arabic into Farsi by an official Iranian interpreter.
Rubaie said that 914 MKO members had a "passport or residence of a third country" and could leave Iraq for these countries.
"Some 914 of them have dual nationalities and others who want to return to Iran will be allowed to do so," Rubaie said, adding he would discuss the issue with officials from 12 countries to see if they would accept MKO members.
"They will leave Iraq in a non-forcible way," he said. "Terrorist groups have no place in Iraq."
The Iraqi government announced on December 21 it planned to close the Ashraf camp north of Baghdad and close to the Iranian border, where around 3,500 MKO members are held.
On January 1, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said he would expel the MKO from the country.
The MKO was created in 1965 with the aim of overturning the regime of the Shah of Iran, but now is seeking the overthrow of Iran’s current government.
It was supported by Iraq’s late dictator Saddam Hussein, and it had carried out deadly raids on Iran from Iraq.
Despite being listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, the MKO receives wide support from Washington and London.
The European Court of Justice last month overturned an EU order freezing its funds.
Group members fought alongside Iraqi forces in the 1980-1988 war between Iraq and Iran and then settled in Iraq.
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 camp 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 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

January 27, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iraq to close MKO camp in two months

TEHRAN – Iraqi National Security advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie said on Friday that Baghdad plans to close down the Ashaf military camp where the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) members are held under house arrest.
Iraq is also seeking to extradite the Mojahedin Khalq members who have taken refuge in Iraq since early 1980s, Rubaie told reporters in a joint news conference with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili in Tehran.
The Mojahedin Khalq launched a campaign of assassinations and bombings in Iran immediately after the Islamic Revolution.
The group was supported by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war but was disarmed after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Saddam also used the terror group in suppressing Shiite and Kurdish dissidents in southern and northern Iraq.
Rubaie said, “Among the members of this group, some have the blood of Iraqi innocents on their hands and we will hand them over to Iraqi justice, and some who have Iranian blood on their hands we can hand over to Iran.”
“The only choices open to members of this group are to return to Iran or to choose another country,” he stated.
The Iraqi envoy said “Some of the MKO members have expressed interest to return to Iran and we are making the arrangements for this.”
“We are acting under international humanitarian regulations and international laws. These people will themselves choose where they want to go.”
Rubaie said that 914 MKO members have a passport or residence of a third country and could leave Iraq for these countries.
He said on his return to Iraq he would discuss with the ambassadors of the United States and a dozen European countries to see if they would accept MKO members.
The top Iraqi security official stated that hundreds of MKO members have already returned to their families with the help of the Red Cross organization.
The Iraqi government announced on December 21 it planned to close the Ashraf camp north of Baghdad and close to the Iranian border.
On January 1, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki went further and said he would expel the MKO from the country.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Rubaie said Iraq is ready to take control of its domestic affairs even sooner than the 16-months deadline set by U.S. President Barak Obama.
Iraq and the United States have signed a security deal that calls for the U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. However, Obama, during his campaign for presidency vowed to withdraw combat forces from Iraq within 16 months from taking office.
Iraqi people and security forces are more than ever ready to take care of the country’s affairs and currently 95 percent of domestic issues are controlled by Iraqis, Rubaie said.
Jalili also stated that Iraq’s repeated announcements that it is ready to take control of the situation inside the county leaves no excuse for the continuation of occupation by foreign forces.
Turning to diplomatic relations with Iran, Rubaie said Iraq has signed a highly important agreement with the Islamic Republic after receiving “positive responses” from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“We are leaving Tehran by achieving a very important deal because we raised important issues in our negotiations and received positive, strong and documented responses,” he explained.
Rubaie, however, did not elaborate on the content of the agreement
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=187569

January 24, 2009 0 comment

Iraq

Iraq: To Close Camp Ashraf

Iraq plans to close down Camp Ashraf, which is the seat of Iranian militant
group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MeK), within two months, Press TV reported Jan. 23, citing Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie. Al-Rubaie added that Iraq would allow MeK members to return to Iran or go to another country.

Stratfor.com

January 24, 2009 0 comment

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