NCRI- In a letter to the US Secretary of State on Friday, 29 May 2009, the Italian Committee of Parliamentarians and Citizens for a Free Iran condemned the sudden intrusion of Iraqi police forces at Camp Ashraf.
Camp Ashraf is home to nearly 3,500 members of the main Iranian democratic opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
In its letter, the committee told Secretary Hillary Clinton, that, “In view of the fact that the protection of the camp is in the hands of Iraqi forces, the sudden intrusion of Iraqi police in Ashraf, is viewed as a suppressive action carried out at the behest of the Iranian regime. This move is in violation of the Iraqi government’s commitments to the American embassy about respecting Ashraf residents’ rights.”
The Committee added: “Despite the Iraqi government’s international commitments and despite the European Parliament’s April 24th resolution addressed to this government, which stipulated that the rights of Ashraf residents must be respected in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and called on it to end the siege on the camp, the Iraqi government has thus far failed to acknowledge Ashraf residents’ rights.”
“Last week, the Iranian regime’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and its Secretary of the Supreme Security Council, Saeed Jalili, met with Mr. Hoshyar Zibari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, in Tehran. They urged Mr. Zibari to implement the bilateral agreements seeking to close down Camp Ashraf. This was exactly the promise made by [former Iraqi National Security Advisor] Mr. Muwaffaq al-Rubaie.”
The Italian committee concluded its letter addressed to Mrs. Clinton by saying, “What we are witnessing now is a direct consequence of the Iranian regime’s pressure, which can lead to the occurrence of a humanitarian catastrophe. Therefore, your immediate intervention is imperative.”
The letter was signed by the chairpersons of the committee, Italian parliamentarians Carlo Ciccioli and Elizabetta Zamparutti, and head of the human rights organization Helsinki Watch in Italy, Antonio Stango.
