..where many papers have failed to publish over the past few days because of an election holiday, one daily is optimistic, while another links the vote to a call for the expulsion of a controversial Iranian rebel group.
Commentary in Iraq’s independent Al-Shahid Now that Iraqis have voted on their new constitution which has put an end to the presence of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation in Iraq,
The law defines terrorism as any criminal act against people, institutions or property that”aims to hurt security, stability and national unity and introduce terror, fear or horror among the people and cause chaos.”…The tough new anti-terrorism law – a response to almost daily suicide bombings and attacks in Iraq – sets capital punishment for”those who commit … terror acts”as well as”those who provoke, plan, finance and all those who enable terrorists to commit these crimes,”
in a meeting with Iranian charge d’affaires in Baghdad, Mr. Talabani said the MKO/PMOI was the common enemy of Iran and Iraq, adding that: “We have also suffered from the terrorist crimes of this group. So, Iraqi government is tough in pursuing their expulsion from Iraq.”
…”Iraqi people are waiting for the trial of the leaders of this group in court of justice so that their real nature and face and their ties to Saddam’s regime are revealed.”…..Stressing the need to expel the elements of the MKO from Iraq, Al-Jomhooriah wrote:”Iraqi government and leaders must take necessary measures to root out remnants of Baath regime, including the Mojahedin-e khalq.”
In the meeting, held in Hotel Pars in Shirza, one of the leaders (of Iraqi tribes) said:”Although we were not informed of many issues about this group, we always opposed to their presence in Iraq.”…..”.All Iraqi tribes want this group expelled from Iraq but now the Americans control this group and we have intervention in the issue,”Vahab Abd Khashi Al-Salam added.
MKO members’ families met some Iraqi tribes’ leaders and asked them to help the expulsion of MKO/PMOI from their country…while the serious situation in Baqdad, they went to Iraq to meet their loved ones but they couldn’t get the permission to meet them and they were treated badly, they confirmed that Mujahedin have taken their sons as hostages …
Iraqi foreign minister, Hushyar Zebari who is visiting Iran with Ibrahim Al-Jafari referred to the presence of thousands of terrorist Mojahedin-e khalq members in Iraq….there’s no place Iraq’s policy for armed groups activities against neighboring countries.
The formerly armed Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) has been based in Iraq for twenty years with regime change as its exclusive cause. Not only was it a long term irritant for Iran, launching waves of terrorist attacks from across the border, it also waged a remarkably intensive “ albeit unsophisticated “ anti-Iranian propaganda campaign from major Western capitals. It was a tempting prospect for hawks in the U.S. administration, therefore, to use the MKO“ officially classified a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU governments “ as a tool