According to Habilian Association database quoting from Tehran e Emrouz Daily, Shiites, Iraqi Kurds, and a great number of Sunnis are against remaining MKO in Iraq; besides, political parties in Iraq such as Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Sadrist Movement, Islamic Dawa Party, and Kurdistan Democratic Party all emphasize expulsion of MKO terrorists from Iraq.
Iraqi government’s decision to expel MKO will lead to their expulsion
The decision to close down Camp Ashraf has been made by Iraqi authorities, and MKO members will be relocated to a new place. In spite of their efforts to extend the deadline, finally MKO ringleaders acquiesced to Iraqi government and people’s desire to leave Iraq. But the time of it is on the table.
Currently, negotiations are taking place between Iraqi and UN officials regarding relocating MKO terrorists to another place in Iraq. The goal of these negotiations is to relocate the MKO members to another place so that UNHCR interviews them to see which of them qualifies for refugee status, sending those who meet the refugee status to a second country and others to Iran or another country.
The expulsion of MKO members has been coincided with U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, and the U.S. boost pressures on Iraq to dissuade it from expulsion of MKO.
MKO is Lobbying U.S. to remain in Iraq
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein. In response it helped the Iraqi dictator both to suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country and to wage a war on Iran. They were Saddam Hussein’s private army and used to execute Kurds, and perform terrorist acts against Iran. After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government in 2003, the cult made an all-out effort to remain in Iraq, though the firm decision of Iraqi people and government forced them to accede to their request.
Today government of Iraq in a legal measure is trying to recapture the garrison which all its land and resources belong to Iraqi people. All these efforts coincide with U.S. struggles for solving MKO problems and their removal from Camp Ashraf. According to reports, U.S. state department is considering whether to remove Mujahedin-e Khalq from its blacklist. At the same time MKO has extended his efforts in lobbying with U.S. government for convincing it to delist it from the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.
MKO petitioned US Court of Appeals to review designation of this cult as a foreign terrorist organization; this court judged that this organization which claims that it has given up terrorist activities should have the opportunity to fend off itself.
The Iraqi government’s stand on this issue is expulsion of MKO members and evacuation of Camp Ashraf by year end. Although some minorities oppose to the expatriation of these terrorists, Shiites, Iraqi Kurds, and a great number of Sunnis are against remaining MKO in Iraq. In addition, political parties in Iraq such as Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Sadrist Movement, Islamic Dawa Party, Kurdistan Democratic Party, etc. emphasize on forcing out MKO terrorist members from Iraq.
Next destination of MKO and possibility of resettlement in Azerbaijan
The MKO’s removal from Camp Ashraf will be done at various stages. In each stage hundreds of them will be taken away. 3400 members are to divide in many groups, and then these groups will be sent to different countries. The main goal of this removal is to keep the cultic structure of the organization. In this scheme, the cult’s call for granting refugee status as a whole will be kept. The only difference is that a group of 3400 people will be divided into smaller groups, but it keeps the very cultic structure.
France is the destination of main groups because now MKO’s bases at the Auver Sur Oise location in Paris, France have enough space to accommodate a large number of Ashraf residents. Other groups which will be sent to Greece and Turkey will be in contact with France and little by little they pave the way to transfer all of them to France.
On the other side it is said that Azerbijan has expressed its readiness to host this terrorist organization. If this report is true it is likely that Azerbaijan has made this decision under the U.S. pressure which is looking for an alternative for Iraq in the region.
Iran’s stand towards Mujahedin-e Khalq terrorist organization
Following the U.S. occupation of Iraq in 2003, Iran granted amnesty to the residents of Camp Ashraf. After that some 250 of them returned to Iran and their families. From then on they are no longer considered as terrorists and they live like any other citizens.
“Iran will grant amnesty to the residents of Camp Ashraf which belong to the terrorist group MKO in Iraq.” said Hassan Danayi Far, Iranian Ambassador to Iraq. He added “except for nearly one hundred individuals, against whole cases have been filed at the judiciary, other residents of the camp can return to our dear Iran or travel anywhere else they prefer.”
Signing cooperative agreement between Iraq and Iran ministry of justice regarding the increasing judicial cooperation between the two countries coincided with the hot debate of the aftermath of the MKO terrorists In Iraq. Some consultations have been taking place between the two countries over these terrorists and possibility of repatriating them to Islamic Republic of Iran.
After the Saddam’s imposed war on Iran and fall of this feared Iraqi dictator, Iran has taken the Mujahedin-e Khalq into consideration, and held various discussions and meetings with Iraqi officials over this terrorist cult organization.
Last year Iran countenanced the raid of the Iraqi forces to Camp Ashraf. And now they confirmed the Iraqi’s decision for closing down it. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hussein Amir-Abdollahian spoke about the members of the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) in Camp Ashraf and said that there is an opportunity for the repentant MKO members to return to Iran. “Everything is ready for them to return to their homeland, and we ask them not to be deceived by their vanquished leaders,” Abdollahian included. “Take this opportunity and come back home to your families, and don’t drive from your home,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs added.
It is worth mentioning that the cult’s leaders are adamantly opposed to return of MKO members to their homeland. They are afraid of tragic consequences that it will bring about for the cult.
Translated by: Habilian Association (Families of 17000 Terror Victims in Iran)
