Simultaneous with Iraqi Prime Minister’s remarks concerning “Transfer of Camp Ashraf residents to Nuqrat al-Salman”, MKO has started a vast propaganda blitz to show its strong opposition to the decision and blatantly tries tolerate the decision to a pressure from the Iranian regime on the Iraqi Government as it is the group’s typical.
As evidence, the group refers to an excerpt of the Prime Minister’s remarks first published on his website saying: “The decision is to expel them (PMOI members) from Iraq. We would not let these people to remain in Iraq and when there is no alternative and no opportunity, we will implement the necessary measures and moving them to Nuqrat al-Salman is a step towards expelling them (from Iraq). Their presence at Ashraf is a major risk because of the historical ties with some groups and political powers in that area, especially the remains of the former regime and al-Qaeda… therefore the decision on their displacement is a stage and there is no need for a decision by Muthanna’s provincial council because the province is a part of Iraq and all the provinces must assume a responsibility towards any challenges.”
But there are some facts in MKO’s published statement that demonstrate an open threatening tone and the possibility of a humanitarian catastrophe in Ashraf. To show how capable it is to create a bloody tragedy, the statement alludes to what it calls terrorist and criminal allegations, for which there are proven evidences, against them: “Mr. Maliki’s repeated fallacious claims against the residents of Asharaf, are merely a justification for further criminal actions against them. The ridiculous false allegation that the PMOI is associating with Al-Qaeda is yet another version of absurd claims originating from mullahs’ intelligence apparatus. Claims such as that Neda Aqa-Sultan, the martyr of the uprising of Iranian people, was killed by the PMOI and elements of the United States and Britain and also claims that the orchestrator of the killing of pilgrims in Mecca in 1987 and the bombing of Imam Reza shrine in 1994 and also the killing of Christian leaders in Iran was the PMOI.”
Decisive to expel the group from the country, the Iraqi Government has to be cautious about angry backlashes of the group that may impose heavy costs on the government and the nation.
