A member of the Iraqiya coalition has said that the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is avoiding naming a Defense Minister in order to carry out political deals, such as attacking the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), whose members reside in Camp Ashraf, near Baghdad, Iraq’s NINA news agency on Saturday.
“If an impartial minister was appointed from Iraqiya, he would not have agreed with some of the decisions, including those which violate Iraq’s sovereignty or human rights,” Fattah al-Sheikh was quoted as saying.
Regarding a press conference on Thursday by the Defense Ministry spokesman, Mohammad al-Asgari, who had mentioned a decision to expel the PMOI, Mr. al-Sheikh said, “Asgari is the spokesman for the ministry. But, while the ministry has no minister, on whose behalf is he speaking?”
He added that the case of Camp Ashraf must be treated in accordance with the “law, and international and humanitarian laws and conventions.”
“In this regard, we are looking for a legal, humane, and rational solution free of political deal making. The PMOI is a political movement, and not an unprofessional organization without roots. S, in view of the fact that they are subject to international agreements for their presence in Iraq, we must treat them in accordance with Iraqi and international law.”
He added, “We need to treat them humanely so that our government is recognized as a humane government that acts independent of political pressures from the Iranian regime when dealing with refugees.”
“Today, everyone can clearly see that the main problem is the Iranian regime’s meddling in Iraq, which starts with the PMOI case and spreads to many other issues like armed operations and the rest.”
The Iraqiya member added, “The case of treating the PMOI is sensitive and must be in accordance with the law, because this case is linked to the international community and may create problems for our government.”
“36 Iranian refugees were murdered in Ashraf and we have seen the pictures of the victims and videos which show individuals directly firing at the residents. We have also seen video clips of Humvees running over a number of the refugees.”
Mr. al-Sheikh added, “We are concerned that the Camp Ashraf issue would become a case of crimes against humanity in the future where the Maliki government is prosecuted.”
