No change in EU terrorist list
TEHRAN, Sept. 10–Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Iran Peter Stuker here Thursday said the Committee has got to know that many members of the terrorist Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO) want to return Iran.
Stuker told IRNA on Thursday that unfortunately, due to lack of security in Iraq and loss of some staff members, the ICRC did not deem it advisable to visit the Ashraf Refugee Camp, where the MKO agents are based.
He added that the ICRC representatives would take actions in that connection immediately after restoration of security to Iraq.
Families of the deceived MKO members in Ashraf camp staged a sit-in in front of the ICRC’s Tehran office and outside the Swiss Embassy, that looks after the US interests in Tehran, calling for measures to secure the release of their children from MKO captivity.
Meanwhile, the EU does not intend to remove the Iranian grouplet MKO from its terrorist list, EU diplomatic sources said here Friday.
The comments followed reports that the MKO is planning to hold a demonstration on Monday in front of the EU headquarters in Brussels to call for the removal of its name from the EU terror list.
"The MKO has been on the EU terrorist list since 2002. I am not aware of any formal moves to do that (to remove). There has been no movement in recent time on this issue," EU diplomatic sources told journalists on condition of anonymity.
"Some individual politicians have raised questions, but I am not aware of any initiatives to change the names on the terrorist list."
EU foreign ministers are to discuss ties with the Islamic Republic during their formal monthly meeting in Brussels on Monday.
The Brussels-based English weekly "European Voice" published a full-page, in what seems to be a paid, advertisement titled "Remove People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI) from Terror List."
The ad claims that "100 parliamentarians, political figures call for the rally in Brussels on September 13".
Observers here are astonished at the ‘duplicity’ of Belgian and EU authorities in allowing members of a terrorist group to demonstrate openly.
IRNA, 26 January 2007