The issue of MKO’s presence in Iraq could be viewed from three different levels: 1. In an official level, disarming the MKO, detaining its members, and signing agreement with each and every one of Camp Ashraf residents (under the name of Geneva Convention) are of measures taken by the US to counter the pressures of Iraqi government to expel the group from Iraq; by such efforts, the US tries to convince the Iraqi government to agree with the temporary stay of the group in the country so that the final fate of the group could be determined. Although the Americans tried to prove their good will by paving the way for defecting members to get back to Iran by the Red Cross and also allowed the UNHCR to interview the members in the camp, Iraqi authorities are still opposing the presence of this group in Iraq. However, Iraqi officials prefer to solve their problems with Americans (including problems related to the MKO) through legal channels; they have repeatedly stressed that the presence of occupiers in Iraq has influenced diplomatic and legal issues of Iraq and that this is not what they want. 2. What is obvious (and is backed by the evidences presented during past 3 years) is that extremist warmongers and Zionist lobby in the US prevent the MKO’s dissolution and want it to be used. This request has failed due to the opposition of large part of US administration, the State Department in particular. So the "protected status", which means nothing except confusion and limbo for the MKO and suspension of warmongers’ plans, is related to the differences inside the US government. 3. But the main hand behind the issue is "CIA". By detaining Massoud Rajavi and declaring conditions for his freedom, CIA is trying to control the MKO and advance its own goals, which are mostly different from those of Pentagon and the State Department. For instance, it instructs the MKO to establish ties to Sunni tribes in Iraq in order to stay in that country. It appears that the MKO is told that by such move is influential in its efforts for staying in Iraq, but the truth lies beneath: by keeping them in Iraq, CIA advances its own intelligence purposes and at the same time increases the price of the group for possible deals with Iran. Also, to control the political atmosphere inside the US, CIA directs the propagandistic activities of the MKO in order to convince those politicians opposing the group that the MKO has been useful in Iraq. This can be proved with a brief look at MKO’s expensive ad in New York Times. On the other hand, this agency doesn’t allow the removal of the group’s name from terror list and prevents the warmongers and Zionist lobby from using this group because it’s fully aware of the failure of such plan due to the unpopularity of MKO inside Iran, group’s military weaknesses, and its bad record in military cooperation with Saddam Hussein. It’s amazing that when discussing the issue of supporting pro-democracy groups in Iran, CIA always introduces the MKO as an undemocratic group with cult-like structure. Creating such a balance allows the agency to advance its own goals and plans by the obedient members of the MKO.
Irandidban – 2006/06/26