He added that the Iraqi government would deal with the members of the organization in a legal way, saying the MKO members should either return to
Iran or select a third country.
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization, which identifies itself as a Marxist-Islamist guerilla army, was founded in Iran in the 1960s but was exiled twenty years later for carrying out numerous acts of terrorism within the country.
The terrorist group is especially notorious for the help it extended to former dictator Saddam Hussein during the war Iraq imposed on Iran (1980-1988).
The group has a 40-year history of involvement in terrorist activities and has masterminded assassinations and bombings inside Iran.
The MKO had regularly provided military training for its members on a base north of Baghdad, known as Camp Ashraf.
Earlier in January, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that Baghdad was determined to close Camp Ashraf and expel the MKO members for the sake of Baghdad-Tehran relations.
“Iraq is determined to put an end to this Organization because it is effecting relations between Iran and Iraq. This organization participated in many operations that harmed Iranian and Iraqi civilians,”he said.”Remaining in Iraq is not an option for them,”al-Maliki added.
Baghdad announced in a statement on December 22 that MKO members at Camp Ashraf must close their training ground and leave the country within a six-month period.
After the finalization of a new agreement between Baghdad and Washington, the Iraqi government took over the country’s national security issues. Under the interim agreement, Camp Ashraf, the MKO headquarters and training site, was put under Iraqi control as of January 1, 2009.
At his Friday press conference, al-Rubaie in response to a question asking the reason for the delay in the camp’s shut down, said that before the interim security pact between Baghdad and Washington, Camp Ashraf had been under US control.
Meanwhile Jalili expressed Iran’s readiness to cooperate with Iraq on security matters through the aim of training and setting up security offices.
France says it has filed an appeal to an EU court to keep the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) on a list of banned terrorist groups.
“Our appeal was filed the day before yesterday,”said Foreign Ministry spokesman Frederic Desagneaux Friday.
On Thursday, an EU diplomat said the bloc had decided to remove the anti-Iran group from the EU list of banned terrorist groups.
The source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said EU foreign ministers should approve the consensus before it can be fully implemented.
MKO terrorists, banned by many countries including the US, have claimed responsibility for numerous terror attacks inside Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The group is also responsible for assisting Saddam in the massacre of thousands of Iraqi civilians.
The EU move to remove the MKO from its banned terrorist group list has provoked widespread condemnations inside Iran as well as among the families of the terror attacks victims.
The French spokesman said Friday that Paris was pressing ahead with the appeal to keep the anti-Iran group on the list.
EU lifts ban on MKO terrorists(A day after the arrest of their suicide bomber in Iraq)
The European Union has reportedly decided to remove the anti-Iran Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) from its terror blacklist.
“The deal has been done. [MKO] will be delisted,”an EU diplomat said on conditions of anonymity on Thursday.
He, however, asserted that the consensus must win final approval from EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels on Monday in order to become fully operational.
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization, which identifies itself as a Marxist-Islamist guerilla army, was founded in Iran in the 1960s but was exiled some twenty years later for carrying out numerous acts of terrorism inside the country.
The terrorist group is especially notorious for the help it extended to former dictator Saddam Hussein during the war Iraq imposed on Iran (1980-1988).
The group masterminded a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, one of which was the 1981 bombing of the offices of the Islamic Republic Party, in which more than 72 Iranian officials were killed, including then Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti.
A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report condemns the MKO for running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations. According to report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.
In recent months, high-ranking MKO members have been lobbying governments around the world to acknowledge the dissidents as those of a legitimate opposition group.
The group has a 40-year history of involvement in terrorist activities. It assassinated several Americans in Iran in the 1970s and criticized the founder of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for releasing the American diplomats in 1981, arguing instead that the hostages of the embassy takeover should have been executed.
The United States and Canada have refused to drop the MKO from their lists of terrorist organizations.
Iraqi security forces are in charge of the MKO training center at Camp Ashraf.
Details of an attempted attack on the Iraqi security center have been brought to light after the would-be perpetrator surrendered himself.
A member of the Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO), who was to carry out the attack, turned himself in to Iraqi security forces and disclosed the details of the suicide attack, Mehr news agency reported.
The would-be suicide bomber is one of the residents of Camp Ashraf, the MKO training center and headquarters in Iraq.
The main objectives of the attack were targeting Iraqi security forces who took over the camp’s security on January 1, 2009 and dissuading the members of the terrorist group from leaving the compound or surrendering to Iraqi forces.
The Iraqi government has been seeking the expulsion or relocation of MKO, as it believes the group to be responsible for attempting to destabilize the country by carrying out terror attacks.
Earlier in January, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to expel the members of the terrorist cell from Iraqi soil.
The MKO "is a terrorist organization and thus cannot operate in Iraq because it will create a political crisis in contradiction with the (Iraqi) constitution," Maliki said, adding that the group will be dealt with "based on the international laws".
The MKO has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by many international organizations and countries including the United States.
The terrorist group targeted Iranian government officials and civilians in Iran and abroad in the early 1980s. The group also attempted an unsuccessful invasion of Iran in the last days of the Iraq-Iran war in 1988.
The MKO was also involved in the massacre of Iraqis under the Ba’athist regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
PressTV – Tue, 20 Jan 2009
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=83055§ionid=351020201
MKO is an exiled cult-like organization that resorts to armed attacks to destabilize the government in Tehran.
The US State Department has declared that the official designation of Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group is appropriate.
In a notice published Monday in the Federal Register, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the MKO group should remain in its list of terrorist organizations.
The US announcement comes amid Iraqi government efforts to expel members of the terrorist group. Baghdad assumed control of the security of Camp Ashraf, the main MKO military base in Iraq’s Diyala province, on January 1, 2009.
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization is blacklisted by many countries, including EU member states and the United States as a terrorist organization. It relocated to Camp Ashraf from Iran after the Islamic Revolution.
Prior to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the MKO enjoyed the support of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain, who provided the group with arms and military equipment to launch attacks against the Islamic Republic during the Iraqi war against Iran (1980-88).
The Iraqi government says the MKO has played a significant role in destabilizing the war-torn country, blaming the group for terrorist attacks within Iraq.
The recent move provoked the group to file a petition in order to take the case to the court.”We will take the case to the court and we will win,” a Paris-based spokesman for the group, Shahin Gobadi, proclaimed.
The MKO has sought to have the group removed from the list of terrorist organizations, lobbying the European parliament and officials.
Baghdad urges the expulsion or relocation of the terrorist group, saying the MKO presence at Camp Ashraf may strain its diplomatic relations with Tehran.
In addition to terrorist attacks within Iran, which claimed the lives of 12,000 civilians, the MKO helped Saddam in suppressing Iraqi Kurds.
Al-Maliki: There is one thing that will not be tolerated and that is for them (Mojahedin Khalq, Rajavi cult) to stay in Iraq
Q: What will become of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO/PMOI) after US forces relinquish the provision of Camp Ashraf security to the Iraqi government?
Al-Maliki: Today, another one of the results of the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty was that Camp Ashraf was returned to Iraqi security forces. In this camp there are organization members, of course I don’t acknowledge them nor approach them as members of an organization, but anyway there are people living in the camp whose stay in Iraq is illegal and are therefore not permitted to reside in our country.
They do not have the necessary requirements to be granted refugee status. Furthermore, Iraq is determined to put an end to this [Mujahedin Khalq] Organization because it is effecting relations between Iran and Iraq. This organization participated in many operations that harmed Iranian and Iraqi civilians under the Saddam regime.
This organization has perhaps committed acts that have caused more harm to Iraqis than to Iranians. We have been clear and frank on the issue both before we took control of the security of the camp and even after we received control. They cannot remain in Iraq. They can return to Iran or go to any other country but remaining in Iraq is not an option for them.
We will not force them to choose among these options. There is also the possibility that Iran will grant them amnesty if they would so choose to return. If they do not, there may be countries that would open their doors to them. They are free to choose.
But all this aside, there is one thing that will not be tolerated and that is for them to stay in Iraq.
—————–
Full interview:
Iraq: We won’t bow to pressure about Iran
The following is a Press TV interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki conducted on the New Year and ahead of his visit to Iran.
Al-Maliki: In the very beginning I would like to thank you for this interview and congratulate the New Year. I ask God to make this year a year of peace, safety, prosperity and stability in both Arab and Muslim countries and the world.
You have asked me about what is happening today. If we look at the hardships imposed on the Iraqi nation because of international punishments and the country being subject to Chapter VII of the UN Charter and the military adventures and the wars, the executions and the starvation and the hunger and the threats to our sovereignty, which led to the invasion of the country by foreign forces stationed here, I must say that the Iraqis have endured a great tragedy.
But we have named this day, the 1st of January, as a national day. The Iraqis and all of the people from other countries deserve this day and have to congratulate us for this day because it is a national feast, a feast for our sovereignty and a feast for the result of the efforts of the Iraqi nation today. We have received the symbol of sovereignty, the presidential palace, and the green zone, and the power over Iraqi skies. We will also receive the rest.
Today Iraqis have brought into force the provisions of the withdrawal agreement and complete sovereignty will thus be restored to the Iraqi people, the Iraqi government and the armed forces.
For us this is a victory at many levels, a victory in our bid to see freedom from Chapter VII of the UN Charter, a victory in our bid to regain sovereignty, and a victory in building the army and promoting the political process, building a trained and professional army capable to implementing the law and order in the country and a political process capable to improving political procedures. It is from here that the journey starts to take the Iraqis to the sea of freedom.
Q: There have been intensions to isolate Iran politically and introduce further punitive measure on the Iranian economy. Are there any pressures on the Iraqi government on this subject?
I can say openly and frankly that the Iraqi government will not force any kind of pressure or anything else for that matter on Iran or any other country in the region. We will defy any pressure brought against us to do anything that is not in line with our constitution, our policies, our beliefs and our national interests. I can say with great courage!
We will approach issues this way not only in the case of Iran, but also when our neighboring and regional countries or even other countries are concerned. I want to emphasize that it is the will of the Iraqi government, the national unity government of Iraq, to be loyal only to the Iraqi nation and its parliament and to abide by the constitution.
It is the law that opens doors to friendship and relations and prevents us from bowing to the will of others. Our constitution has determined that after today Iraq will no longer be the scene of wars and conflict and a source of regional instability and a place where foreign powers hold power and influence.
Iraq does not want to experience isolation and does not seek to create conflicts or fuel conflicts in the region; we want a situation void of any problems. We want regional peace and cooperation as we will remain a neighbor of Iran, Turkey and Syria and are therefore determined to continue our interaction and relations with them.
All our relations take mutual respect into consideration and that is why my upcoming visits to turkey and Iran and other regional countries will be based on policies that are acceptable for the Iraqi people; policies that they trust.
In addition, the policy of our government will be to resolve all the problems we have inherited from the Saddam regime. We will pursue this with regional countries. Some of these conflicts relate to our borders, some relate to the wars and their consequences and some relate to the common water, oil and natural resources we have with out neighbors. Our policy is to find solutions and not to prolong problems.
We believe that many regional countries will respond positively to our requests to solve all the problems that have been created by the policies and adventurism of the former regime. We have attempted to limit conflicts and tensions to build regional confidence in Iraq and to show that we seek agreements and resolutions and not to intensify difficulties.
Q: What will become of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) after US forces relinquish the provision of Camp Ashraf security to the Iraqi government?
Al-Maliki: Today, another one of the results of the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty was that Camp Ashraf was returned to Iraqi security forces. In this camp there are organization members, of course I don’t acknowledge them nor approach them as members of an organization, but anyway there are people living in the camp whose stay in Iraq is illegal and are therefore not permitted to reside in our country.
They do not have the necessary requirements to be granted refugee status. Furthermore, Iraq is determined to put an end to this [Mujahedin Khalq] Organization because it is effecting relations between Iran and Iraq. This organization participated in many operations that harmed Iranian and Iraqi civilians under the Saddam regime.
This organization has perhaps committed acts that have caused more harm to Iraqis than to Iranians. We have been clear and frank on the issue both before we took control of the security of the camp and even after we received control. They cannot remain in Iraq. They can return to Iran or go to any other country but remaining in Iraq is not an option for them.
We will not force them to choose among these options. There is also the possibility that Iran will grant them amnesty if they would so choose to return. If they do not, there may be countries that would open their doors to them. They are free to choose.
But all this aside, there is one thing that will not be tolerated and that is for them to stay in Iraq.
MKO: Turned On…Turned Down… Turned Out
4 Corners, Press TV
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization claims that the US has granted it immunity amid reports that Iraq will soon take charge of the group.
A US embassy statement said on Sunday that Iraq would take charge of Camp Ashraf, MKO’s headquarters and training site, as of Jan. 1, 2009. The statement, however, added that a US force will be present in the camp.
It also said that Washington and Baghdad will work to”assist the camp residents in securing a safe future”.
MKO leaders said on Monday that the US embassy statement was a”real victory”, indicating that the members of the group fell under Washington’s protection and could remain in safety.
“It means the United States has recognized its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our people in Ashraf,”an MKO leader said.
Earlier, in a statement on Dec. 21, the Iraqi government called on the MKO members to leave the country in a”non-forcible”manner. Iraq”plans to shut down the camp and to either deport its population to their country or to a third country,”read the statement.”Remaining in Iraq is not an option for them.”
Following the Iraqi government’s statement, a White House spokesman, Benjamin Chang, said that the US received guarantees from Baghdad that MKO members residing in Iraq would not be”forcibly transferred”to a country where they may face charges.
An Iraqi official, however, disputed the claims, indicating that no security guarantees had been granted to MKO members.
“The Iraqi government is determined to abide by a parliamentary verdict to extradite members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization,”IRIB quoted the high-ranking Iraqi official as saying on condition of anonymity on Saturday.
The MKO, blacklisted by both the US and the EU, moved to Iraq in 1986, where it enjoyed the support of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the fall of Saddam Hussein, the group came under the protection of the United States.
Iran has repeatedly called for the expulsion of the terrorist group from Iraq. The group is responsible for launching operations against Iran during the Iraq-Iran war from Camp Ashraf. It also masterminded a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran.
The Iraqi government has refuted recent US claims that it has granted immunity to members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO).
A senior Iraqi official said Saturday that, contrary to Washington contentions, Baghdad has not provided security guarantees to the MKO dissidents.
"The Iraqi government is determined to abide by a parliamentary verdict to extradite members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization," IRIB quoted the high-ranking official as saying on condition of anonymity.
Baghdad announced in a statement on Dec. 22 that MKO members at Camp Ashraf must close their training ground and leave the country no later than six months.
Iraq has also drawn up a list of MKO members who must stand trial for the operations they carried out in the war-torn country. The organization is notorious for the help it extended to former dictator Saddam Hussein in the massacre of Iraqi Kurds.
"Remaining in Iraq is not an option for them," read the statement, which came amid stepped-up Iranian calls for Iraq to expel MKO members.
White House spokesman Benjamin Chang, however, claimed on the following day that Washington had received guarantees from Baghdad that the MKO members residing in Iraq would not be "forcibly transferred" from the country.
The guarantees were claimed by the US to have been provided by the interim Iraq-US security pact recently reached between the two countries.
The Iraqi official disputed the claims, indicating that no country has so far agreed to provide sanctuary to the terrorist organization.
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization, which identifies itself as a Marxist-Islamist guerilla army, was exiled from Iran in 1986 for its many acts of terrorism against Iranian civilians and officials.
Washington has declared the MKO as a terrorist organization but has used the group as a proxy-army to promote espionage activities in the region and to support its campaign against the Iranian nuclear program.
Former CIA agents revealed in 2006 that MKO members received widespread support from upper Washington echelons, such as former attorney general John Ashcroft, Vice President Dick Cheney and former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld.
The group masterminded a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, one of which was the 1981 bombing of the offices of the Islamic Republic Party, in which more than 72 Iranian officials were killed, including then Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=79634§ionid=351020201
A top Iraqi judge has reportedly called on The Hague to probe into the terrorist activities of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO).
Addressing family members of terrorism victims in Mashhad, an Iraqi judge tasked with investigating war crimes in oil-rich Iraq, suggested that The Hague launch an investigation into human rights abuses and terrorist activities conducted by the MKO, Fars news agency reported.
“The war on terror has a long way to go and to that end governments and nations need to be united,”said Jom’eh Abdul Davoud.
The MKO is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by many countries — including the United States and most EU member states — for launching terror attacks inside Iran and Iraq.
According to the judge, some 150 MKO operatives are wanted in Iraq but any other members of the organization are permitted to leave the country.
Under the leadership of Massoud Rajavi, the MKO helped the Baath regime of Saddam in the suppression of the Iraqi Kurds in ‘Operation Morvarid’. Thousands of Iraqi civilians were brutally massacred in the operation.
Iraq believes the MKO plays a significant role in fueling violence and insecurity in the country. Officials in Baghdad plan to take legal action against the group and have repeatedly called for its expulsion from the war-torn country.
After the invasion of Iraq, Baghdad sought to take control of the main MKO military training area — Camp Ashraf — and banned any Iraqi dealings with the terrorist group.
The United States responded by bringing MKO members under its protection, fueling speculation that Washington had long employed the group for espionage and violence-related activities.
Following the US intervention, an informed source at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry exposed US plans to relocate selected members of the organization.
Defectors accuse the group of resorting to mind control in an effort to brainwash supporters and establishing a cult mindset among members. Most MKO members stationed at the camp now suffer from physical and mental ailments.
Defectors have also called on the British parliament, Amnesty International and human rights organizations to visit Camp Ashraf and liberate members who wish to leave the organization.