By: STRUAN STEVENSON
Source: The Herlad
The recent ruling by the UK Court of Appeal in London concerning the proscribing of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) is a major victory for common sense. The Appeal Court rejected the UK Government's case and demanded the PMOI be removed from the UK terrorist list. Further leave to appeal to the House of Lords was refused.
Four years ago, myself and Paulo Casaca MEP, a Portuguese Socialist, set up the Friends of a Free Iran Inter-group in the European Parliament. Among its goals were to support the restoration of democracy, rule of law, human rights, women's rights, and the abolition of the death penalty and nuclear weapons in Iran. We discovered that the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) backs exactly those objectives, and we have fought a global campaign to put the arguments for removing the PMOI from western terror lists.
We have met many obstacles. Our several invitations to Mrs Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), to come to the European Parliament, faced opposition at the highest level. But we insisted that as freely elected democratic politicians it was up to us, and not Tehran's Mullahs, to decide whom we should meet. The meeting with Mrs Rajavi was a success. We have also faced vilification campaigns from Iranian intelligence. Spurious press articles accuse us and other PMOI supporters of being "friends of terrorists". Recognising the PMOI as the key threat to their odious stranglehold on Iran, the Mullahs are terrified of them.
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While Europe has pursued its policy of appeasing the Mullahs, President Ahmadinejad has continued his brutal strategy of terror and oppression. The PMOI and their courageous supporters within Iran were the first to reveal the Mullahs' nuclear programme, risking their lives in the process. Among their most recent revelations were the secret nuclear control and command centre in Lavizan working on a nuclear generator and triggers for an atomic bomb, and Khojir site, south-east of Tehran, where nuclear warheads are being produced. The scientists' names, the exact technology and locations of the sites were also exposed. After seeing this information, all we resort to are pathetic warnings and sanctions.
I recently received detailed information from the Transatlantic Institute proving that major European companies are working with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) inside Iran. I then asked the PMOI to verify this information from their sources within Iran.
Last week they delivered the answer; a major Italian company is supplying dual-use equipment, while a leading German company is supplying a mass of sophisticated tunnelling machinery. Pictures given to me clearly show the emblems of IRGC, which is on the US list of nuclear proliferators, above the tunnels.
Both of these corporations are working with the IRGC's Khatam military engineering complex, which is on the UN sanctions list. A recent report even named a British businessman supplying missile guidance systems to the Iranian regime.
Aside from this, virtually every major terrorist outrage in the past decade has had the Mullahs' fingerprints on it. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map. So, why do we continue appeasing the foremost state sponsor of terrorism? The answer is simple – money.
Too many vested interests in Europe are filling their pockets with lucrative contracts with Iran and they wish to keep it going even to the point of supplying nuclear technology. The only people who are prepared to stand up and expose this outrage are the PMOI. But, at the direct request of the Mullahs we placed the PMOI on our terror lists, thus effectively blocking them from the corridors of power, where they could bring effective opposition to bear on the Tehran regime.
This is a regime which is teetering on the brink of extinction but it needs a push to topple it, which can only come from the main opposition party under the inspired leadership of Mrs Maryam Rajavi. When France takes over the rotating presidency of Europe on July 1, I hope that President Sarkozy will continue to pursue his tough line against the nuclear programme in Iran. But it is no use talking tough unless he backs it up with action, and the way to send the Mullahs the most profound signal that we mean business in Europe is to take the PMOI off the EU terror list and start backing them as the only organisation capable of restoring democracy to that beleaguered nation.
Struan Stevenson is vice-president of the ruling EPP-ED Group of MEPs in the European Parliament. He is co-chair of the Friends of a Free Iran Intergroup.
