Iranian-Iraqi regimes’ Plan for Massacre at Ashraf and A Green Light by UN Envoy
In his report to the Security Council on July 19, UN envoy in Iraq, Martin Kobler, thanked the Government of Iraq for
its flexibility and blamed the residents of Ashraf and Liberty for stopping the relocation process and said that Camp
Liberty has the capacity to accommodate the remaining 1200 residents and meets acceptable humanitarian standards. He
then called on camp’s residents “to abide by Iraqi laws and avoid provocation and violence.”
Despite Secretary General’s repeated emphasis that any accord must be mutually agreed upon, Mr. Kobler said: “Time is
running out to find sustainable solution. The Government's patience is wearing thin. I urge Camp Ashraf residents to
cooperate with Iraqi authorities and to relocate from Camp Ashraf to Hurriyeh (Liberty).” On July 24, he presented a
document as a roadmap which was nothing but the Iraqi plan for evacuating Ashraf without providing minimum human needs.
According to this roadmap, the residents are to immediately forego all their requests and postpone them to an unknown
future.
This is a scenario repeated constantly during the relocation of previous groups and every time the UN envoy pressured
for evacuation of Ashraf by promising fulfillment of demands for the next group. It is very clear that his goal is to
close Ashraf at any cost and concentrate the residents at Liberty prison.
On July 26, Martin Kobler met with the Iranian opposition president Maryam Rajavi in Paris. Mrs Rajavi, taking the most
flexible position, provided a very practical solution to assure that the minimum humanitarian needs of the residents
relocating to Liberty would be met. On behalf of the residents she pledged that the 8 demands of the residents of the
Camp Liberty would be fulfilled in less than one month by employing Iraqi contractors and that the residents would be
responsible for the incurring costs. Upon completion of the project, the sixth group shall leave to Liberty at the end
of the month of Ramadan. Her only demand was for the Iraqi government to accept this plan and not to create any
obstacles. The 8 demands of the residents are; Connection of Liberty to the city water network or pumping water from a river adjacent to the camp; Transfer of the main
generators of 1.5 Mega Watt to the Liberty Camp; Allowing the sale of the movable and immovable properties belonging to
the residents; Minimum constructions particularly of special facilities for disabled and ill people; Transfer of the six
utility vehicles; Transfer 6 trailers for transportation of the disabled; Transfer of 5 forklifts; Transfer of 50
passenger cars.
It is worth noting that all of these 8 demands are exactly the same ones that were requested by the Camp Ashraf
residents in February 2012 prior to the relocation.
The UN envoy later informed the representatives of the residents in the camp that the Iraqi Government does not agree
with any of the demands and wants to relocate the sixth group immediately. He also added that he believed that the
facilities in camp Liberty met the minimum requirements for the sixth group’s relocation and that there was no urgent
need for the demands of the residents to be met in near future.
Pursuant to these green lights by Mr. Kobler, the Iraqi government’s National Security Advisor and a well-known backer
of the Iranian regime, Faleh Fayaz, declared that the residents of Ashraf will be forcefully removed from the camp and that all the relocations shall be
non-voluntary. This is but a prelude for the third massacre in Ashraf and yet another humanitarian disaster.
Mrs Rajavi’s proposal puts no burden, financial or otherwise, on the Iraqi Government. It offers a clear time line and
practical plan. So one must believe that the real goal behind rejection of this proposal is not to relocate the
residents of the camp or remove the PMOI from Iraq but rather is to destroy the organized opposition to the mullahs’
regime, especially now that Tehran is faced with very serious challenges domestically as well as internationally.
Hence we are requesting an immediate intervention by the UN Secretary General, Secretary Clinton, Baroness Ashton, and
the European leaders to prevent another humanitarian disaster. Secretary General should appoint a personal Envoy to
oversee Ashraf case. Martin Kobler has repeatedly shown that his bias and lack of neutrality.
It is not the residents or their leadership that are showing intransigence, but it is Iraq that is not only refusing to
provide the minimum humanitarian needs of the residents, but it is also preventing the residents from providing them by
themselves.
According to international law and based on the mutual agreement signed by every single resident of Ashraf and the US
government, and also based on accepting their protection in return for disarmament, the US government is responsible for
the protection of Ashraf and Liberty residents. Therefore Secretary Clinton must take all the necessary steps to
guarantee the safety of the residents of Ashraf and prevent the Iraqi Government from taking any hostile actions against
the residents.
The US and the UN must firmly request the Iraqi government to abide by the humanitarian norms and fulfill the basic
humanitarian needs of the residents. Only then the relocation can take place.
EU and other European countries should open their doors and accept asylum seekers from Ashraf and Liberty Camps without
any further delay.
Alejo Vidal-Quadras
Vice-President of the European Parliament
President, International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ)
ENDS