Camp Liberty-No. 6
Iraqi Prime Ministry assures Iranian regime to paralyze PMOI in Camp Liberty
NCRI – Iranian Resistance has attained a document from inside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which says that following the transfer of the first group of Ashraf residents to Camp Liberty, the Iraqi prime ministry has reassured the Quds Force and regime’s ambassador in Baghdad that members of the PMOI would be crippled in Liberty and would become politically dead. This shocking document leaves no ambiguity that the project for transfer of Ashraf residents to Camp Liberty is entirely to the wishes of the clerical regime with the objective of destroying this regime’s democratic and legitimate opposition. Sections of this document are as follows:
1. This document, a copy of which has been sent to Khamenei’s office, specifies, “The relocation of PMOI members from Ashraf and confining them in Camp Liberty under direct control of Iraqi forces would paralyze this organization. It does not matter to the Government of Iraq how long they would stay in Liberty; what matters is that they should not be able to have any activities. In Liberty they would be like the dead.” The document goes on to say, “In one stage, we have planned to separate the organization officials from the members; this is going to be the most difficult part of the transfer operation and it is possible that the organization’s members and officials may create problems. This stage will not proceed easily and smoothly.”
2- Iraqi prime ministry emphasizes, “We have told the UN and the international community that the Iraqi government does not recognize members of PMOI as political or humanitarian refugees and that their presence in Camp Liberty is just to facilitate their expulsion. Had we confirmed their asylum – a matter that the U.S. and EU worked very hard for – it would have created much legal obligations for us, and we then would have been obligated to give them Iraqi nationality or give them right to legal residence.”
3- This document stresses: “We (the Government of Iraq) shall impose our own conditions and we want PMOI members to give in to these conditions at the end… on many occasions, UN justifies Iraq’s conditions and calls on PMOI members to acquiesce, since Camp Liberty is just a transition station where residence there would be short-term.”
4. Based on this document, the Government of Iraq complains that, “not all members in United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) are not in full accord with the GOI” and says, “nevertheless, SRSG Kobler in particular supports GOI’s demands. We believe he does not want to have any dispute with the GOI and is not willing to strain his relations with Iraq for the sake of the PMOI”.
5- PMOI has stated some demands, “We shall respond positively to be in line with the UN, but their demands will never be met. The Iraqi government and its representative have only agreed to discuss unimportant issues and details; issues that have little effect in our condition such as field visits by physicians or visits by delegations which are inconsequential. The Government of Iraq would strongly react to other requests that are sometimes put forward by Ashraf residents… the new camp should be tailored to the needs of the Iraqi government and not the PMOI members. The Iraqi government shall not give way in important issues.”
6- Iraqi prime ministry office accentuates that Ashraf residents want “Iraqi police and military personnel not to be present inside the camp and be transferred out of their main place of inhabitance… however, if the police and security forces leave Camp Liberty, we shall set up several security centers in their place inside the camp in addition to the current locations in order to keep the situation inside the camp under our control.”
7. The document acknowledges, “the U.S. Embassy wants to be part of international forces monitoring the situation in Liberty. We accepted that, but we didn’t go through details. The U.S. Embassy is serious and has had correspondence with us (GOI) on numerous occasions.” However, in order to reduce the effect of U.S. monitoring role, “the GOI’s willing is to merge the members of U.S. Embassy with the UN delegation to avoid various reports sent from Camp Liberty and prevent numerous opinions and monitoring agencies.”
8. Another section of the document ensures the Iranian regime that, “Members of the organization have to exit Ashraf before the end of next month … We had already decided if the talks reach a dead-end, the government would enter and transfer them to Liberty or another location by force, and after the given grace period, no one can question the Iraqi government … However, there are problems such as the UN mission which is asking the Iraqi government to stop relocation of further groups to make sure about the safety of this process, further arguing that hastily increasing the number of people can result in disorder.”
Expressing its deep regret regarding some parties in UNAMI cooperating with this repressive and illegal plan of Ashraf residents’ relocation to Liberty, the Iranian Resistance calls on the UN Secretary-General and the US government to prevent the Iraqi government from implementing this criminal plan, and urges them to provide Ashraf residents’ minimum assurances. These minimums include all Iraqi armed forces withdrawing from Camp Liberty, right to transfer residents’ vehicles and moveable property to Liberty, unfettered and direct access to medical services, freedom of movement or at least allocating more area to the residents to ease the prison conditions of Liberty. In the absence of such minimums, not even a single Ashraf resident will go to Liberty.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
February 21, 2012
