Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s cabinet had demanded that the MKO members be rapidly transferred to other countries, AFP quoted the spokesman as saying. “The presence of this organization is illegal and the cabinet has decided to put an end to it, said Dabbagh, adding,”We have given it time to prepare to leave Iraq for another country. We have left it to them to go to the country of their choice.
Iraq’s Vice President said there are a series of issues which are connected with security in Iraq and Iran, one of which being the presence of the outlawed terrorist Mujahideen Khalq Organization in Iraq.
Family of a former MKO member, based in TIPF, reported that in the latest wave of defection, 5 repentant members of the group escaped the cult and joined the TIPF.”Two women are among these people, one of whom is Ms. Batoul Soltani, 40, from the city of Isfahan. Her daughter, Setareh, was forcefully separated from her mother and taken to Europe in 1991….
This Council announced on January 31 that according to the ruling of the court it would provide the MKO with reasons of freezing its assets. The Council also stated that it would give a month to the MKO to present documents to defend itself before the Council announces the final decision.*
Al Dabbagh said members of the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, or Mujahideen-e-Khalq, have been told they must go to Iran”or any other country”and should”arrange their residence in a country other than Iraq.””The Cabinet affirms that the legal character of this organisation is a terrorist organisation,”Al Dabbagh said during a news conference.
For years, the MKO has repeated contradictory claims on the internal situation of Iran in order to receive advantages from the West, and the US in particular. Now, these claims have become so unbearable that even CNN’s presenter turns on Jafarzadeh asking him:”what internal situation are you talking about?”In response to Jafarzadeh’s request from the West to put pressure on Iran and focus on internal situation,
In a meeting with Deputy Iraqi Interior Minister for Security Affairs”Shirvan Al-Vaeli”, Iranian Foreign Minister”Manouchehr Mottaki”said that in the light of good relationships between the two countries, the presence of Iranian opposition groups in Iraq is not acceptable and that Iranian government and people are waiting for the extradition of criminals and the expulsion of enemies from Iraq.
Britain’s state-funded broadcaster said the US cannot decide what to do in its hypocritical policy, with some statesmen in Washington still seeing the MKO as potential allies even though the grouplet is officially branded as terrorists. A documentary for Newsnight, screened on Wednesday, suggested there was a split between the US State Department and Defence Department ….
Tom Lantos, the head of Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee said on Wednesday, Jan. 17, that he’s ready to go to Iran along with a delegation.Speaking in Foreign Relations Committee, Tom Lantos, Dem. From California, added that Iranian officials have so far refused to issue visas for Congressmen.He also added that Americans should also be blamed for obstructing the process of talks to the US…
In the Meeting, the issue of Mojahedin-e Khlaq organization, major armed Iranian opposition group based in Iraq, was also discussed. The details of discussions have not been revealed, but the Iranian government has always asked for the removal of MKO’s camps in Iraq and extradition of its forces to Iran.