A number of EU parliamentarians, in a letter have slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The letter adds, the MKO claims to be a democratic Iranian opposition, while it is instead a terrorist group with totalitarian ideals.
The EU, in a decision slipped out without fanfare, said it saw no grounds for amending the list of 48 groups subject to asset freezes and other sanctions in Europe.”Consequently, the Council has decided to maintain those persons, groups and entities on the list,”the decision published in its Official Journal said.
The EU officials have declared that the decision to keep the MEK on the list of the terrorist groups is not related to the Western efforts to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment program, Reuters reported. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will meet Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva on Saturday to discuss Tehran’s response to an incentives package proposed by world powers to Tehran.
EU diplomats say the bloc has postponed a decision on whether to remove the Mujahedin Khalq Organization from its list of terrorist groups. ..The MKO or the sso called PMOI, which is blacklisted by many countries as a terrorist organization, has so far claimed responsibility for many terror attacks inside Iran. It is also accused of assisting former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the massacre of thousands of Iraqi civilians.
The Euronews reported on Saturday that an EU review of the list of terrorist organizations next month could give the Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO) carte blanche to operate inside the bloc. The MKO is blacklisted by many countries including EU member states as a terrorist organization. The group has so far claimed responsibility for several terror attacks inside Iran and
the European Court of First Instance annulled an EU move to keep Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MKO) on its terror blacklist, ruling it had not given the group a fair hearing or adequate reasons. However, the EU disputed the ruling and kept the organization on a new version of its list.
the EU disputed the ruling and kept the organization on a new version of its list. On December 22, 2007 the European Union published its official Journal in which it updated the Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repeated Common Position 2007/448/CFSP. But the move by MKO to challenge the EU and lodge an appeal against the EU’s decision seems to have encouraged other blacklisted persons to make a try.
In a letter released on Saturday, Iran’s Union of Islamic Students Association (UISA) in Europe has thanked the European Union for its decision to keep the terrorist Mojahedin Kalq Organization (MKO) on the blacklist of terrorist organizations. The letter, a copy of which provided to Mehr News Agency, is addressed to Francisco Javier Solana Madariaga, the European Union foreign policy chief
…The document published the official Journal of the European Union on Dec 22nd included the list of persons, groups and entities referred to in Article 1 of the document. On page 113 of Legislation 340, you can consider Muajhedin-e-Khalq listed as a proscribed Organization by the EU …
Among the other issues addressed at the session, there were discussions on a recent visit by an EU parliamentary delegation to the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the session which was held in the presence of the members of Iran-EU Parliamentary Relations Commission, EC representatives, EP members, and the head of the MKO, one more time the terrorist nature of that anti-Iranian organization was stressed.