Iran says US call to use MKO "giant leap in wrong direction" Iran’s mission to the UN here Wednesday said a call made by two US representatives to take more political advantage of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization against Iran was a "giant leap in wrong direction".
The mission made the statement in response to an article written by Rep Tom Tancredo and Bob Filner published by `Washington Times’ on June 15. The two Republican representatives called on the Bush administrator to make more use of the MKO against Iran.
In its response letter published in Washington Times on Wednesday, the mission expressed regret over a false approach towards the terrorist group and a recommendation to use it in line with illegitimate goals of the US foreign policy.
"The Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization is a known terrorist group that has committed atrocities in Iran and in the region for more than four decades. "It has a dark history of aligning itself with the Baathist regime of (former Iraqi president) Saddam Hussein which used it as a mercenary army against the Kurds and to invade Iran from its bases in Iraq," the letter said.
It added, "Even prior to September 11, the MKO was in the initial stages of aligning itself with the Taliban and Al Qaeda but its plans to set up bases in Afghanistan vanished with the developments in Kabul."
"The authors have not done a proper scrutiny of the MKO’s violent record which includes the assassination of a president, a prime minister and 80 lawmakers as well as thousands of innocent Iranian civilians," it said.
"Despite claims by the authors, the terrorist cult gave up its weapons only after US troops attacked its base in Iraq, at which point it began a process of adaptation to a post-September 11 era where there is no tolerance for terrorism in any country. It now claims for democratic values."
The mission described as "a definite misnomer" the appellation "democratic" for the MKO terrorist group, saying, "The MKO has an eclectic ideology that blends Stalinist Marxism and militant leftism with ossified interpretations of Islam (like Al Qaeda), espousing the idea of urban guerrilla warfare."
The letter called on the authors to pay attention that "it is not only the US government but also the European Union which have branded the MKO as terrorist, based on an anti-democratic cult of leadership who systematically purge and even torture their internal critics per a recent report by the Human Rights Watch".
In response to a part of the article which claimed that Iran’s severe reaction to the terrorist group showed its importance, the mission said, "Severe efforts against a terrorist group are not a sign of its size or significance, rather they reflect the
seriousness of terrorism danger as the main problem to the international peace and security. "This is what the international community should refuse in consensus and to avoid double standards."
The mission slammed the two representatives outlook on making use of the group against Iran, stressing, "The proud Iranian nation will never embrace such armed cliques supported by alien powers, a group whose leaders have repeatedly showed their terrorist face."
"It is also a contradiction to refer to the MKO as a relatively small group based largely in the Iranian diaspora which has proved a reliable source of intelligence and a useful tool to deal with Iran and on the other as a viable Iranian democratic opposition group."
"At a time when the Iraqi government has demanded the expulsion of the MKO terrorists from their territory, the authors’ call for the use of the group as a political tool against a democratic, elected government is a giant leap in the wrong direction," the letter further stated."
06/07/2007, IRNA