Iranian-Iraqi regimes’ Plan for Massacre at Ashraf

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

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