Belgium’s foreign minister Karel de Gucht condemned Thursday a recent meeting between Maryam Rajavi, a leader of the Paris-based terrorist grouplet MKO and a few Belgian senators in Brussels.
Belgian news agency, BELGA, quoted de Gucht saying that such a meeting weakens Belgium’s position in the fight against terrorism.
De Gucht regretted that some personalities judged opportune to meet Mrs. Rajavi who appeared to represent a peaceful movement but her movement, said de Gucht, is a cover up for the MKO, a group which has been since 2002 on the US terrorist list and also on the EU terror list.
De Gucht noted that the MKO has committed terror acts in Iran and elsewhere and practiced torture.
The minister was answering to a question in the Senate by senator Francois-Xavier De Donnea regarding the meeting on Tuesday between Rajavi in a side salon of the Senate with the president of the Senate Mrs. Anne-Marie Lizin and five other senators.
Lizin had underlined that the meeting with Rajavi was unofficial.
De Gucht said that as a consequence of the meeting the Iranian government has postponed the acceptance of the credential letter of the new Belgian ambassador to Tehran.
He said it is essential to reinforce the role of the civil society and contacts with the opposition but in a sensible manner.
In this context, he said, Belgium cannot permit the wastage of its diplomatic credit through gestures which do not serve the cause of democracy and undermines the coherence of Belgium’s policy.
IRNA – October26, 2006
