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Official: No decision yet on Iranian dissidents MEK

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has not moved any closer to removing an Iranian dissident group from the U.S. list of terror organizations, senior Obama administration officials Secretary of State has not moved any closer to removing an Iranian dissident group from the U.S. list of terror organizationssaid on Monday.

Speaking on background with reporters, a senior official said members of the Iraq-based Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) seem to “think that de-listing is now imminent.”

“We continue to try to impress upon them that there is no such automaticity,” the official said.

Representatives working on behalf of the MEK, also known as the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, have sued the State Department in federal court to take the group off the terror list.

While the case has dragged on for more than two years, it appeared to move forward June 1 when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Court ordered Mrs. Clinton to decide within four months whether to de-list the MEK.

Dispute over the MEK’s status hinges on a group of the organization’s supporters who have been living under U.S. protection at a camp in Iraq since shortly after U.S. troops entered Iraq in 2003.

Now that the Americans have left, the Iraqi government has said it will close the camp. As a result, members of the MEK are being relocated from their present home at Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, to Camp Liberty, a former U.S. military base near the Iraqi capital’s international airport under a deal brokered by the U.N.

But State Department officials on Monday said movement of the MEK members has stalled during recent weeks and that representatives of the group have grown less willing to cooperate with the deal.

“The United States remains concerned about the situation at Camp Ashraf and urges the residents of Camp Ashraf to resume full cooperation immediately with the Iraqi government and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

“The United States has made clear that cooperation in the closure of Camp Ashraf, the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s main paramilitary base, is a key factor in determining whether the organization remains invested in its violent past or is committed to leaving that past behind,” she said.

A senior Obama administration official added that “we cannot speak with certainty about the reasons for the MEK’s slowdown in its cooperation.”

The official said the group may have “over-interpreted” the most recent federal court ruling and assumed that its removal from the U.S. terror list is imminent.

The official said that while Mrs. Clinton fully intends to respond to the court’s order by the Oct. 1 deadline, she “retains complete discretion” over whether to take the group of the terror list.

By Guy Taylor

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MEK terrorists on SDN list for 9 consecutive years

For 9 consecutive years, Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK, a.k.a. MKO and PMOI) terrorist group has been on the Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN).
MEK terrorists on SDN list for 9 consecutive years
Following the publication of the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) by U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on June 12, terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization was remained as a SDN, Habilian Foundation reported on Saturday.

The Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List is a publication of OFAC which lists individuals and organizations with whom United States persons are prohibited from doing business.

In 2003, MKO along with its front organizations, such as National Council of Resistance of Iran were added to the list.

Despite the prohibition, some former U.S. officials have been received big bucks from MKO in exchange for their speeches on behalf of the terrorist group, which prompted an investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department to see whether the speaking fees were being paid by MKO.
Habilian reporting from U.S. Treasury, June 16 2012
http://www.habilian.ir/en/News/mek-
terrorists-on-sdn-list-for-9-consecutive-years.html

Link to the full List (U.S. Treasury)
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center
/sanctions/SDN-List/Pages/default.aspx

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State to decide on Mujahedin-e Khalq terror delisting in 4 months

The State Department plans to comply with a court’s order to decide the status of a group that Jewish Telegraphic Agencyopposes the Iranian regime and that it lists as terrorist.

In an unsigned statement issued June 1, the spokesman’s office said that it "intends to comply" with a ruling earlier that day by the D.C. Circuit’s Court of Appeals ordering the State Department to decide within four months whether Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK, should be removed from its designated terrorist group list.

The court, which had first issued an order in 2010 demanding a decision within 180 days, expressed its frustration with the delay.

"We have been given no sufficient reason why the Secretary, in the last 600 days, has not been able to make a decision which the Congress gave her only 180 days to make," it said, and ruled that if the department failed to decide within four months, the group would automatically be delisted.

A number of pro-Israel figures in recent years have joined the effort to delist the MEK, saying that it has reformed since its days under the shah when it targeted Americans.

They note also that the MEK base in Iraq has disarmed, per U.S. requests, and say delisting is vital now as the pro-Iranian Iraqi regime consolidates power and the thousands of residents of the MEK camp in Iraq are left defenseless, because removing the group from the terrorist list facilitates travel for its members.

Iraqi forces killed 34 camp residents in a raid last year.

The MEK is reportedly assisting Israel in exposing and sabotaging Iranian nuclear facilities.

Opponents of delisting say it serves no useful purpose, saying that MEK’s alignment with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war has led to it being universally reviled, even among opponents of the theocracy.

They say that delisting would only needlessly provoke Iran during a period of sensitive negotiations over making its nuclear program more transparent.

MEK welcomed the judge’s decision. "The judgment once again demonstrated that maintaining the terrorist designation on the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is absolutely illegitimate and unlawful, and is guided by ulterior political motives," it said in a statement.

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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Appeals Court Ruling on the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK)

Washington to remove their favourite terror group Mojahedin Khalq from U.S. list of foes

Taken Question

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

June 1, 2012

QUESTION: Do we have a reaction to the Appeals Court ruling on the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK)?

ANSWER: We continue to review the MEK’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in accordance with the D.C. Circuit’s July 2010 decision and applicable law. Our review includes all relevant materials, including extensive materials provided by counsel to the MEK. At the conclusion of the review, the Secretary will make a decision regarding the designation.

As the Secretary has stated previously, given the ongoing efforts to relocate the residents of Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya, MEK cooperation in the successful and peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf, the MEK’s main paramilitary base, will be a key factor in her decision regarding the MEK’s FTO status.

We are in receipt of the D.C. Circuit’s June 1, 2012 opinion and are currently reviewing it.

The State Department intends to comply with the Court’s opinion.

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Open letter to the US State Department

Hidden guns and grenades hidden by Mojahedin Khalq, MKO, MEK,Rajavi cult have been handed over to the American army generals in Iraq

Honorable and distinguished Secretary of US State Department, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mohammad Karami/ the former veteran member of pmoi

First of all, I would like to say that the US State Department has listed pmoi( MKO, MEK, Rajavi’s cult) and its National Council of Resistance (NCR) properly as a terrorist organization in its foreign terrorist groups list. The US state department listed this notorious organization when it did not have the precious information and evidence which it has today about this organization.

In 2005 when US state department issued an statement about its terrorist list , it had properly indicated that pmoi is a very dangerous de-facto organization .This destructive organization ,with its special and specific trainings which they have learned and with their closed and covert organization , have this potential to become a very dangerous organization in any moment they desire. The self immolation of pmoi members in 17 June 2003 throughout the Europe specially in Paris which was directly orchestrated by this notorious organization and its operatives , just happened because the French police arrested Maryam Ghajar Azdanlo ( Rajavi) in her headquarter in Auver sur Oise. If the international humanitarian organizations and societies’ protests did not intervene in this matter , it was going to become one of the biggest humane tragedy.

Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the US state department has properly listed the name of this organization in its foreign terrorist groups list and also it has been properly mentioned in that report about the cultic behavior of this organization . I should mention that although the US state department report in 2005, 2006, 2011 is not complete but it has revealed tens of thousands facts which substantiate the religious-cultic essence and entity of this dangerous organization.

* In this regard I would like to narrate the request of the pmoi spokesman in US, Mr. Alireza Jafarzadeh, which utterly shows the situation of this cult in US( this request can be seen at the end of this letter).#

According to the information which the US state department and the MI (military intelligence)of US army have about this cult , this cult should not be allowed to propagate and issue its false statements to the US-political figures as well as the US representatives and the senators .

Mr. Paul R Pillar , the professor of Georgetown University says ¨¨ the roots of this group which is smeared with blood are still alive¨¨

Mr. Paul R Pillar continues ¨¨ the history of the pmoi activities goes to the years of 1970 and during the Shah’s time. At that time the ideology of this group was a mixture of Marxism and Islamism . The deadly operation against US personnel such as US Military advisers and personnel in Iran was part of the first activities of this group.¨¨

Mr. Paul R Pillar says , this group by paying money to the US officials has disobeyed of US prohibitions and limitations . The pmoi has utilized the fake and sham titles and sham organizations to gather and invest money for its struggle. If you look at their big advertisements and propagandas which has been published in the newspapers, you cannot figure out that those advertisements belong to pmoi.

According to the News reports , many of the US supporters of PMOI had been paid 25-40 thousand dollars for their participation in each pmoi gatherings ( But any support has its own price and that was a fact which General Mayers in an interview with Mrs. Negar Mortazavi , the VOA reporter , confirmed it). His answer to the question that whether he had received money from pmoi was a positive answer.

General Richard Mayers , the former chairman of the US Joint chiefs of Staff of US army , Mr. Micheal Mokizi the retired Minister of Justice , Mr. Patrick Kennedy , Mr. Ed Rendell ………….. had also confirmed receiving money from pmoi in their interview with VOA.

Mr. John W Limbert , the former US Embassy hostage in Iran , says ¨¨ Mujahedin were supporters of hostage takers . They were against any effort for resolving the hostage crisis . They were shouting loudly and demanding in earnest our trial and execution.

Mr. Mehdi Baraie who has announced his name as the pmoi representative in Iraq , is one of the high ranking commanders in pmoi. He was in charge of a section in pmoi which participated in taking over the US embassy in 1979. He, as a result of participation in killing of the Kurds and Shiites in Iraq in 1991, has been indicted by the Iraq supreme court of justice in 2007.

Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton , the statements of the US state department’s lawyer , Mr. Robert Loeb , is completely and precisely correct . I would like to mention the facts which substantiate and prove Mr. Loeb’s statements . Mr. Fatollah Fathi , the former veteran member of pmoi who escaped from Ashraf camp , took refuge in American camp ,TIPF, which was under supervision of the US army . He had cooperated with the US Military intelligence(MI) for almost two months in searching the places which pmoi hid arms and equipments . As a result of Mr. Fatollah Fathi’s cooperation with the US military intelligence , he was sentenced to death by pmoi and the US army decided to send him to a safe place out of TIPF for his safety and protection.

Mr. Alireza Moazen Tabrizi who was also a former member of pmoi , found a sidearm ( Colt ) and two hand-grenades which were hidden purposely under bushes . He gave them to the TIPF Commanders ,Colonel Wesley Martin and Colonel Leo McCloskey . surely , Brig. Gen. David Phillips and Gellaski the commanders of that time can remember this subject. If they have forgotten this issue , they can go and see their daily memorandum which contains all the discovered and registered items in that time which were signed by the present officers in the scene in those memorandum.

At the end I have attached some documents which reveal more about the cultic essence and content of this notorious cult ( Rajavi’s cult) and these documents substantiate and proves the facts which mentioned in this letter .

Respectfully

Mohammad Karami/ the former veteran member of pmoi ,Paris

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Testimony of Ambassador Daniel Fried on the Status of Processing of Camp Ashraf Residents

House Foreign Affairs Committee
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Testimony of Ambassador Daniel Fried on the Status of Processing of Camp Ashraf Residents
May 16, 2012

Chairman Rohrabacher and Ranking Member Carnahan, thank you for the opportunity today to testify before this Subcommittee. I welcome this occasion to report on the significant progress made in the Administration’s ongoing efforts to support a humane, peaceful, and durable solution for the residents of Camp Ashraf, as well as on the challenges that remain.

In early December 2011, when I last appeared before this Subcommittee to discussthe situation at Camp Ashraf, the potential for a humanitarian crisis appearedominous. The Government of Iraq had announced its intention to close Camp Ashraf by December 31, and there were valid concerns, based on previous incidents, that this could result in bloodshed. At that time, the United States and the UN recognized the need to develop and support on an urgent basis a mechanism to achieve the safety and security of Ashraf’s residents. Members of this Committee appeared to share such concerns. It was under these circumstances that Secretary Clinton instructed me to work with Ambassador Jeffrey and the United Nations to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

Given that context, I am relieved to report significant progress, while recognizing that the job is not yet done. On December 25, the Government of Iraq and the United Nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides the mechanism and path forward for the safe relocation of Ashraf’s residents out of Iraq. Secretary Clinton quickly and publicly announced our support for this MOU, and we were shortly joined in this support by key partners in the international community, especially the European Union. We called upon the Iraqi government to respect the terms of the MOU and upon the residents of Camp Ashraf to cooperate in its implementation. With the signature of the MOU, the Iraqi government lifted the December 31 deadline for Ashraf’s closure.

Under the terms of the MOU, the residents of Camp Ashraf have been provided a temporary transit facility – Camp Hurriya (formerly called Camp Liberty) adjacent to the Baghdad International Airport – to which to relocate under guarantees of security. The MOU also provided for regular, in-person human rights monitoring by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), headed by the able and energetic Ambassador Martin Kobler, and the ability to participate in a Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process to be undertaken by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Additionally, through the MOU, the Iraqi Government made a commitment to the principle of non-refoulement. These were important steps forward by the Iraqi government.

Following conclusion of the MOU, the Iraqi Government worked with the UN and the residents of Camp Ashraf to begin the moves to Camp Hurriya. The first convoy to Hurriya occurred February 18, with nearly 400 people. Despite some complications and delays, it took place peacefully and was observed by U.S. officials from Embassy Baghdad in addition to UN monitors. A second and similar convoy of nearly 400 residents occurred on March 8, followed by a third convoy on March 19, a fourth on April 16, and the fifth and most recent convoy on May 5. Together, nearly 2000 residents of Ashraf have moved to Camp Hurriya, which is well over half the total.

After the fifth convoy, the Department of State publicly welcomed the progress to date, including the continued cooperation of the Iraqi Government and the residents of Camp Ashraf with UNAMI in implementation of the MOU. Our statement also noted the need to increase our focus on our ultimate objective: the safe relocation of the residents from Camp Hurriya out of Iraq, and we joined the UN’s call to member states to assist in this effort.

The process of relocating residents to Hurriya has had challenges. Each convoy, carrying approximately 400 Ashraf residents, their personal effects, and large quantities of cargo to Hurriya, has been a significant logistical undertaking. The Iraqi government has provided dozens of coach busses and cargo trucks and literally thousands of Iraqi security forces to provide for the convoy’s security on the road. Accompanying each convoy are UN human rights monitors, who also observe the screening of residents and property as each convoy loads from Camp Ashraf and provide useful, neutral reports following each convoy movement. The preparation of each convoy is lengthy and disagreements, sometimes heated, have occurred between the Iraqi authorities and the residents about cargo, screening procedures and other issues. The U.S. Embassy and Department of State of followed the progress of each convoy closely, often in real time, in support of the UN; we are well aware of the difficulties involved. Given the history of Camp Ashraf, the emotions involved, and the fact that many of those at Camp Ashraf have resided there for years, this should not surprise us. Indeed, the fact of continued progress is more remarkable than the difficulties. Patience and compromise have been required, and will still be required, as the last convoys needed to close Camp Ashraf are organized.

Living conditions at Camp Hurriya have also had their challenges. Camp Hurriya, when under U.S. control, was part of the largest coalition base in Iraq, housing thousands of American and coalition forces during military operations in Iraq. The containerized housing units (CHUs), which the former Ashraf residents now occupy, previously housed our service personnel. Hurriya also includes among its living spaces a large dining facility, fitness facility, a mosque, and recreational space for the residents. The UN studied the infrastructure before the first convoy and judged that the facility met or exceeded international humanitarian standards for such encampments to support the relocation of all Ashraf residents.

Nevertheless, some legitimate concerns were raised about conditions at Hurriya. There were early issues with water, sewage and electric power, though many of these have been resolved. There were early concerns about the location and size of Iraqi police units at Camp Hurriya, though here, too, a satisfactory resolution was worked out. Both Camps Ashraf and Hurriya have internet connectivity to the world.

Still, some issues remain. For example, greater attention needs to be paid to the repair of air conditioning units by the Government of Iraq, and other basic welfare needs, such as accommodations for the disabled, ought to be addressed. With the onset of hot weather, requirements of electric power and water deliveries will increase, and the number of needed utility vehicles for provision of water and removal of sewage therefore will grow. The Iraqi government needs to work with the UN to address ongoing humanitarian concerns as the population at Camp Hurriya grows amid hot weather. The residents meanwhile need to engage with the Iraqi government, the UN, and others on these serious issues in a focused manner.

The UNAMI monitors, who visit Hurriya daily, and U.S. Embassy officers, who also visit frequently, have been invaluable in working out problems and keeping us informed about the details of issues that develop. UNAMI, with active U.S. support, is working at high-levels with the Iraqi government to ensure the welfare of the residents is not compromised and to resolve issues that arise. Continued efforts will be needed, especially now that the hot season has arrived.

It is important that the final convoys from Ashraf take place and that Camp Ashraf be closed. Our efforts do not end, however, with Camp Ashraf’s closure. Indeed, we must not lose sight of our purpose: the relocation of Camp Ashraf residents out of Iraq. The way for residents out of Iraq lies through the UNHCR process. With start-up issues largely resolved, the UNHCR has intensified its efforts and increased its resources to interview and review residents for refugee status eligibility, the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process.

The next great task in this effort requires continued participation of the residents in the UNHCR process, and the diplomatic work of relocating those residents out of Iraq. For our part, the United States has informed the UNHCR and our international partners that we will receive UNHCR’s referrals of some individuals.

These referrals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, consistent with applicable U.S. law. Other governments have stated their intention to take similar actions, and some have begun the process of reviewing residents.

Let me be clear: it will be critical for the United States to demonstrate leadership in this area. Our doing so will be essential to finding a solution. We hope to have the support of the Congress and all who in the past have expressed concern for the welfare of the residents of Camp Ashraf. We will also need the continued cooperation of the remaining Ashraf residents to move swiftly to relocate to Hurriya, and the cooperation of the residents of Camp Hurriya with the UNHCR.

The next stage of the process will be challenging. Some in Camp Hurriya may choose to return voluntarily to Iran. Others may find that they have credentials and connections to European or other nations and can resettle there. Still others will require resettlement as refugees or other permission to reside in third countries through the UNHCR’s good offices. Some of our European partners have already indicated that they will interview residents to determine eligibility for resettlement within their respective countries. In all these cases, the United States will encourage prompt and secure relocation of the residents of Hurriya and, again, we must be prepared to do our part, hopefully with support of Congress.

I want to commend the extraordinary work being done by the UNAMI and UNHCR missions in Iraq, and the intense engagement of U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey and his dedicated team. Their diligence, creativity, and commitment have been essential to the progress made thus far. They routinely mediate disputes – from the mundane to the more serious – and without their leadership at all levels this process would be immensely more difficult, and human lives would be in greater jeopardy.

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, this is in the nature of an interim report. Much has been achieved since last December’s hearing. Much remains to be done. This is a complex and dynamic issue, and it consumes an enormous amount of resources, for UNAMI, for UNHCR, and for the UN writ large; and the U.S. is devoting attention commensurate with the need.

Our paramount interest in this situation is humanitarian. We have much still to do, and the potential for serious trouble remains. The difficult history of the MEK in Iraq is a matter of record. But at last we are on a road to resolve this problem through the relocation of Ashraf residents out of Iraq.

Thank you for this opportunity and I welcome your questions.

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee

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U.S. not ready to remove MEK from terror list

An Iranian dissident group on the U.S. government’s list of terrorist organizations is showing signs of cooperation, but the United States has not decided whether to remove it from the list, a Department of Justice attorney told a federal appeals court panel Tuesday.

An attorney for Mujahedin-e Khalq urged a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to issue a writ of mandamus, essentially an order compelling the State Department to comply with a previous order, and to make a decision on delistment in a timely manner.

MEK is seeking the enforcement of a 2010 ruling by the same court ordering the State Department to review the group’s status on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list. In its ruling, the District Court gave the State Department 180 days to review the request from MEK to be removed from the terror list.

Robert Loeb, who argued the case on behalf of the administration, said the lack of total unfettered access to the MEK’s base inside Iraq demands more deliberation and time be given to the decision. Loeb argued questions still remain whether "hard core" elements of the group harbor weapons inside the base and thus retain the "capacity" to launch attacks.

Once the base is completely emptied, a decision on MEK’s status could be made within 60 days, the U.S. government has said. In court, Loeb stipulated that 60-day period could be subject to extension based on anything learned within that period.

The group has been on the terror list since 1997 because of the deaths of Americans during the 1970s. The group was granted refuge in Iraq by Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war. The MEK supports the overthrow of the Iranian theocracy.

The Obama administration has argued it needs to assess the MEK’s move from its previous base of operations at Camp Ashraf in Iraq to a processing center at a former U.S. base in Iraq before making its decision. The move is being conducted under U.N. auspices after the Iraqi government ordered the camp closed at the end of 2011.

Mark Toner, deputy State Department spokesman, released a statement this past weekend praising the "continued cooperation" of Camp Ashraf residents. Over half of the approximately 3,000 residents of Camp Ashraf have been relocated to Camp Hurriya, Toner said, with the goal of eventually settling in countries outside Iraq.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a Senate panel last year that the way the transfer was carried out would influence the eventual decision on removing the group from the terror list.

Loeb said the administration understands the "duty" to make a timely decision on MEK’s status, but said the administration also has a duty to the public to "get it right."

The group is also known as the People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran.

Viet Dinh, a former Justice Department lawyer representing the MEK, said the group no longer poses a military threat because the U.S. Army peacefully disarmed the group after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The U.S. government treated MEK members as protected people under international law until the U.S. turned over responsibility to the Iraqi government.

Dinh told the court the State Department’s delay in making a decision is a violation of MEK’s due process rights, and liberties granted under the U.S. Constitution.

"The secretary has recognized (MEK’s) renunciation of violence and is legally bound to delist the organization," Dinh wrote in a filing in February." She cannot pocket veto (MEK’s) application for revocation of its terrorist status."

Col. Wes Martin, who served as base commander of Camp Ashraf in 2006 and was present for Tuesday’s proceedings, called Loeb’s argument "nonsense." Martin, who supports MEK’s removal from the terror list, told CNN he was certain Camp Ashraf has been completely disarmed.

The MEK enjoys the support of prominent high-ranking officials from past Democratic and Republican administrations who speak out against the group’s continued presence on the terror list.

By Jamie Crawford

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MKO remains on US FTO list

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to rule on whether to remove an Iranian dissident group from a U.S. terrorism blacklist about two months after its refugee camp in Iraq closes, the Obama

U.S. to decide MEK’s fate after camp closes

administration said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard arguments on a petition from the group, Mujahadin-e Khalq, or MEK, which is seeking an order forcing the State Department to either remove it from the list or require action within a specified period on its request to be delisted.

Iranians who belong to the group have been moving out of its Camp Ashraf base in Iraq to a processing center at a former U.S. military base in Baghdad, and the remaining 1,200 or so are expected to be moved in the next nine weeks or so, the administration said.

Clinton plans to decide on the group’s request to be delisted from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization list "no later than 60 days after the last move," Robert Loeb, a Justice Department lawyer representing the administration, told the appeals court that heard oral arguments on the issue.

It appeared to be the first time that the State Department had publicly given a rough timeline for making a decision on the matter.

Loeb acknowledged that a 60-day period for a decision "may not be realistic" because they could find additional evidence that needs to be weighed, but that Clinton had authorized him to tell the court of her plan.

Loeb said the administration has been carefully weighing whether the group has fully renounced its violent past and given up any weapons. He denied that the process was without an end. Clinton said in February the camp move was a "key factor" to making a decision.

"We’re not citing world peace" as a goal to determine the fate of the designation, Loeb said.

Also known as the People’s Mujahideen Organization of Iran, the group led a guerrilla campaign against the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran during the 1970s that included attacks on U.S. targets. It was added to the list in 1997, but the group has said that it has renounced violence.

UNWELCOME IN IRAQ

The group, which has pushed for the overthrow of Iran’s clerical leaders, found itself no longer welcome in Iraq under its new Shi’ite-led government that came to power after Saddam Hussein’s downfall in 2003.

As a result of the MEK’s listing as a foreign terrorist organization, Americans are barred from supporting the group, and its members or representatives are banned from entering the United States.

A lawyer for the group, Viet Dinh, pressed a three-judge appeals court panel to force the Obama administration’s hand and said that the terrorism designation has "severe implications on constitutional liberties" for the group.

He denied that the MEK members at the base were armed and saying that "the group for a decade has renounced violence."

The three judges appeared skeptical of both sides during the arguments, acknowledging that it was not as if the Obama administration was "sitting on their hands", as Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson put it during the nearly hour-long arguments.

Judge David Tatel raised the possibility of establishing a deadline for when Clinton must rule or take the Obama administration’s backup suggestion to require regular progress reports to the court.

But he questioned whether the group wanted a decision that could go against the group now but in a few weeks or months could be reversed.

Dinh argued that the law required Clinton to make a decision within short order and that the group wanted a decision made even if it was not to delist it because then it could appeal it in the courts. "Any decision would be better," he said.

Tatel also pressed Loeb on why the administration just did not deny the application so the appeals process could move, but the lawyer said that the situation was "fluid" and did not want to risk hurting cooperation to close Camp Ashraf.

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Editing by Philip Barbara)

By Jeremy Pelofsky

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US to review UNHCR referrals of some MKO members

Camp Ashraf

Press StatementUS to review UNHCR referrals of some MKO members
Mark C. Toner
Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

Today, the fifth convoy of approximately 400 Camp Ashraf residents safely arrived at Camp Hurriya. The United States welcomes the continued cooperation of the Government of Iraq and the residents of Camp Ashraf with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq to complete the relocation process, as set forth in the December 25, 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq. The United States appreciates the extensive resources expended by the Government of Iraq to provide for the residents’ safe relocation, and calls for continued adherence to the commitments in the MOU, especially those which provide for the safety, security, and humanitarian treatment of the residents.

With over half of the initial resident population now relocated to Camp Hurriya, the United States will be able to increase its focus on the safe relocation of the residents from Camp Hurriya out of Iraq. We join the call of the United Nations to member states to assist in the permanent relocation of eligible residents from Iraq.

To do its part, the United States has informed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other governments that we are willing to consider referrals of some individuals from the UNHCR. These referrals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, consistent with applicable U.S. law. We urge our friends and partners in the international community to step forward and help achieve a humanitarian resolution.

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Open letter to the President of USA , Mr. Barack Obama

Honorable President of USA , Mr. Barack Obama
Homayoon Kahzadi
Greetings

I , Homayoon Kahzadi , am the separated member of pmoi , Rajavi’s cult who had spent 15 years of my life in this cult(mko,pmoi,Rajavi’s cult). Today I am very happy and joyful that I can write such a letter to you in the free world in support of my friends who are still in Rajavi’s cultic captivity.

Mr. President

An Iranian proverb says, ¨ when a member of a body is hurt by time, the other members will react¨

Since I have experienced a very harsh and terrifying ordeal in Ashraf garrison and since I have tolerated many severe tortures and prisons in Rajavi’s cult and since I have seen and observed many cruelty and bloodshed by Rajavi’s cult so I as a reliable witness would like to draw your attention to the following subjects:

Any delay in the trial of pmoi leadership is inappropriate and unacceptable because the presence of this cult in European countries is much more dangerous than explosion of an atomic bomb and I urge you not to allow them to expand their terrorist activities in your country as well as European countries .

Being silent in front of such terrorist and cutthroat cult which is not committed to any international regulations and rules of law, is considered as humane behavior?

Closing eyes upon their terrorist past and the breach of human rights by them (by invoking to the human rights watch report) is not like training and breeding a deadly and poisonous snake by our hands?

Have you thought seriously about the consequences of mujahedin terrorist cult and their activities?

The leadership of mujahedin’s cult has perpetrated awful deeds ranging from terrorism and assassination to money laundering and schematizing among parties and interfering in other countries affaires , for instance;

Fake and false propaganda and flashy vote of a court of law in Spain against the Iraq prime minister which does not have any lawful prestige among other countries for instance:

The Ashraf scuffles which has been carried out by the direct order of Rajavi , they pretend that those scuffles are US fault. I draw your attention to the following topics which the pmoi leadership have issued them in their Media:

Maryam Rajavi’s speech (after the representative’s speech in the US congress hearing session)

From now on the responsibility of any blood which is shed in Ashraf, is on USA and the Iranian resistance is no longer ready to negotiate about the relocation of Ashraf residents inside Iraq.¨

The Rajavi’s cult site, the article written by Manochehr Hezarkhani by the title ¨ An intermediate for US plan¨:

¨ I do not know when the European representatives see this badger ambassador, how they feel¨

The Rajavi’s cult site has published an article by the title¨ Ashraf camp the criteria of sincerity in US idiotic policy ¨ which is written by Sanabargh Zahedi one of the cult members .

Mr. President

This cult which has not left Iraq yet, has begun straggling with principals and policies of other countries, wait and see while they reach to European and American countries, what they will do!

The ringleaders of this cult have issued the death decree and harassment of all separated members and their dissidents and opponents throughout the world and they threaten the family of those captives who want to see their loved ones and they insult the Iraqi government by calling them names such as mercenary and traitor.

Yes there is no trust on wolves , so I urge you to confine this terrorist cult by all means and stop all their activities which ends up to violence and bloodshed and surrender the cult ringleaders to the justice .

Respectfully
Homayoon Kahzadi, Yaran Association, Paris

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