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Iraqi Government Set to Annihilate Residents of Camp Ashraf

By Shahriar Kia

The insistence of the Iraqi government to close down Camp Ashraf concurrent with the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq is an Iranian regime demand and not the will of the Iraqi people. According to the 7-article agreement that Maliki has signed few weeks ago with Tehran, the task of the Iraqi government is just to annihilate the residents of Camp Ashraf to curry favor with the mullahs of Tehran.

While accepting the European parliament plan to relocate to third countries, Ashraf residents have requested the UNHCR to begin its work to reaffirm their refugee status. Despite the call by the international community for implementation of this process, the principal obstacles for a peaceful resolution of Ashraf residents issue are solely the Iraqi government and the Iranian regime.

Iraqi Human Rights Minister Shia' Sudani said on November 9th, "The Khalq organization [i.e. PMOI/MEK] is a terrorist organization. The Iraqi government intends to close the Camp Ashraf dossier at the end of the year. The Iraqi government deals the issue by providing them with two options. The first option is to voluntarily return to their country with guarantee from the United Nations and the Iranian party that has announced its readiness in this regard; and the second option is to find a third country."

Concurrently, Abbas Bayati, an Iraqi Member of Parliament and ally to al-Maliki, announced: "The government's decision based on closing down Camp Ashraf is irrevocable and will be implemented; the United Nations and European Union have also been notified of it." He said, "this organization has three options: either return to their country and benefit from the public amnesty law; or a third country hosts them; or else the government will separate the camp and disperse them in various provinces, treating them as individuals and not as an organization."

Also on November 6th, a mullahs' hireling identified as Wathiq Moussavi released a statement in the name of 'Najaf office' of mullah Mohammad Ali Gorgani saying as, *"The PMOI in Ashraf are an infidel group. They should be annihilated completely and in an ultimate manner."* Gorgani is a mullah residing in Qom who supports Khamenei and has never had an office in Najaf.

Earlier on October 27, acting Iraqi interior minister of Iraq said, "Ashraf will be closed at the end of the year and its residents will be dispersed throughout Iraq to facilitate sending them to Iran or other countries."*The Iranian regime's foreign ministry had also informed on October 23rd of a seven-point agreement with the Iraqi government for closure of Ashraf.

The legitimate request of the international community, including the European Parliament, the U.S. Congress after adoption of the new bill, the UNHCR, and the emphasis of Amnesty International is the revocation of the absurd ultimatum for closure of the camp by year's end.

Had the Iraqi government been looking for a peaceful solution, it should have accepted this request until the completion of the work by the UNHCR and the transfer of all individual residents of the camp to third countries.

However, this refusal is exactly the policy of the Iranian regime to obliterate its opposition through the government of Iraq.