Mrs. Rajavi accepts and welcomes the UN proposal for dialogue with the Government of Iraq in order to provide minimum guarantees for transfer of Ashraf residents to Camp Liberty in the context of the UNHCR statement
Mrs. Rajavi reminded her readiness to travel to Baghdad to talk with the Government of Iraq with the presence of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, reiterated the readiness of 400 Ashraf residents to move to Camp Liberty with their vehicles and moveable properties and called for formation of a joint judicial committee of lawyers of all pertinent parties to sign a comprehensive document containing the minimum guarantees of the transfer.
Mr. Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General (SRSG), Ambassador Daniel Fried, the Special Advisor of the U.S. Secretary of State on Ashraf, and Mr. Hugues Mingarelli on behalf of the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy held a joint press conference on Camp Ashraf in Brussels this afternoon. Mr. Kobler suggested that constructive dialogue be held between the representatives of the Government of Iraq and Ashraf residents to clarify the modality of the transfer to Camp Liberty and moving of the first group of the residents.
Previously, on February 1, in its statement the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding determining the refugee status of Ashraf resident stipulated that the Government of Iraq has prevented the commencement of the process in Ashraf. It pointed out: “”UNHCR attaches utmost importance to peaceful solutions being found, including that any relocation outside Camp New Iraq proceed on a voluntary basis, with freedom of movement the most desirable state at the site of relocation.
UNHCR is currently looking at how to expedite verification and RSD processing so as to enable it to be done on an individual basis fairly, fully but also speedily, in the interests of gaining time against tight deadlines”.
The MOU signed on 25 December 2011 by Mr Kobler, and the Government of Iraq explicitly says: GOI ensures “The transit locations meet humanitarian and human rights standards”, whereas nobody has yet certified these standards in regard to Camp Liberty.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, while emphasizing on the content and points of the NCRI statements on February 1 and 2 regarding the condition of Camp Liberty and lack of humanitarian and human rights standards, strongly welcomed the suggestion of SRSG about starting a constructive dialogue of parties, in the context of the UNHCR statement.
She reminded her readiness to travel to Baghdad and holding dialogue with the Government of Iraq in the presence of the SRSG, once again as a good will gesture, reiterated the readiness of 400 of the Ashraf residents to move to Camp Liberty with their vehicles and moveable properties. She called for an international conference or at least formation of a joint judicial committee by lawyers of all pertinent parties to sign a “comprehensive document to arrange the transfer” that would entail the minimum humanitarian and human rights guarantees.
During the Brussels press conference, based on the Dec 25 statement of Mrs. Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, Ambassador Daniel Fried, once again, reminded the U.S. responsibility and commitment for a peaceful solution to prevent violence and another massacre at Ashraf.
While expressing once again her appreciation for the attention of Secretary Clinton on this issue, Mrs. Rajavi, called on Ambassador Fired and Ambassador Kobler for guarantees and their implementation for the transfer of Ashraf residents to Camp Liberty. Particularly about stationing of Iraqi armed forces outside the small half square kilometer area, so as it has been stated repeatedly, about 1,000 women could enjoy adequate security and wellbeing.
She added: The representatives of the residents have raised this issue on several occasions in their correspondents with the SRSG. Unfortunately there has been the least attention to them as well as other “humanitarian and human rights standards” that the Government of Iraq had been committed to in the MoU.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
