NCRI – Addressing a conference in Paris on February 26, Governor Tom Ridge, first Homeland Security Secretary, denounced continued blacklisting of the PMOI/MeK in the United States and called for protection of Camp Ashraf residents. The conference was attended by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, and dozens of distinguished international personalities.
Excerpts from transcribed text of his speech follow:
Thank you for that kind introduction, thank all of you for that warm reception.
First of all let me thank the organizers of this magnificent conference for the invitation to your inspiration and passionate leader Maryam Rajavi. It is an honour to be in your company. It’s not only an honour to be in your company but let me say that at some time, in a not too distant future, we hope that all of your American friends with you today are in a position to welcome you to the United States of America where you can hold the next conference.
My friend governor Richardson made reference to the distinguished audience as well. I would like to do the same. I suspect that there are many of you in the audience who, in a very personal and familiar way, understand the nature of repression and oppression that loved ones and family members and friends have experienced because of this theocracy, the tyrannical regime in Iran. We all have empathy for you and your families. I must tell you that over the past couple of months I received several letters from people just like you. I got one a couple of days ago from an American citizen proud of his Iranian decent and he said to me: “Thank you and your American colleagues for speaking out, you should know that it affects me in a very personal way”. He said: “I have over a dozen of my family members in prison in Iran and I have nearly two dozens of family members, including my mother and father and half of them are women who are in Camp Ashraf”.
To me, it’s very personal. The time is running out, and the time for America to do something is now.
Many of the speakers before me have referred to the extraordinary events of the past month or two. Articles all over the world often begin with the young man in Tunisia humiliated by his government, his modest means of seeking out a living taken from him by that government. He set himself ablaze. What he did not know then but hopefully he knows now, but that was a spark that ignited everything that has happened since across North Africa and across the Middle East.
It’s a real challenge I would like to share a couple of facts with you today is not indentifying what is going on but wonder out loud what will happen in the future. What will history record was the follow on in every one of these countries. Will oppressive leaders be replaced by repressive leaders or will the fire of democracy burn strong enough to make sure that it doesn’t happen? What will be the values system? Who will come to their aid? We all know that during the last month or two a lot of people have concluded that Iranian influence in the region has grown, not lessen, not diminished. It’s something we are all concerned about.
From Americans’ strategic point of view, it is something America should be concerned about as well, along with the rest of the world. President Obama reminded us in a public communication sometime ago, that it’s impossible for any country to dictate the outcome of these events in any other country. It’s impossible for any country to do it. We all know that it is possible for a country to influence the outcome, and that’s why we gather today. Our friends in Europe, our friends in the UK, even the district court has said: one of the ways America can influence the outcome is to delist the MEK, we join in solidarity for that purpose.
I am reminded from time to time, as we are now in the United States but particularly when we see events of these unfolding around the world, the words of our own declaration of independence, 200 plus years ago under the [oak of tyranny]*, seeking freedom of expression, assembly and religion. We founded our country and our declaration of independence talked about certain truth that were self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and then among those rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is the declaration of independence of the people of the Camp Ashraf and individuals throughout the Middle East and North Africa have been saying aloud for the rest of the world to hear, and it’s about time we come to their aid.
People seek to be treated as citizens. Not as servants, not as lords, not as supplicants. I think it would be absolutely impossible for anyone to convince me that in any man, woman’s heart of hearts that they will not choose to select their own government, to choose the way they live under the conditions that they and their families could live and survive and flourish and enjoy the life of this world.
Now is the time to what the voice of the MEK and the democratic resistance be heard. Now is the time for the United States to understand it’s not only the interest of the MEK, the interest of Iran, the interest of the region, but it is indeed global interest, the interest of the world to protect the people at Camp Ashraf and delist the MEK. Let’s think about this for the moment, ladies and gentlemen: Military and political leaders in the region for years and years have said that the greatest threat to stability in North Africa and the Middle East particularly is Iran. I had occasion, a couple of years ago, to talk to one of those leaders primarily figured in today’s political discussions. He said there are three problems, three concerns that we have in this region of the world: it’s Iran, it’s Iran, it’s Iran!
The state department and its administration in 2009 said the most active states sponsor of terrorism in the world is Iran. No nation provides more military, political, or financial support to fundamentalists and terrorists around the world than Iran. This is a global issue and the people in Camp Ashraf, the democratic resistance, are primed and prepared to help, if we help them. And it’s about time that we did.
Let’s remind ourselves that when we are talking about Iran we are talking about Hezbollah. We are talking about arms, ammunitions, unrest and violence. We are talking about Hamas, we are talking about the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, we are talking about the assassination of the former prime minister of Lebanon, and his successor was sympathic to Hezbollah. We are talking agitation in Bahrain. Make no mistake about people aren’t talking too much about it publicly, but does anyone in this room doubt for a single moment that the Iranian influenced protagonists are not alive and operating throughout that region. Iran is a problem for the entire world and the entire world must understand that economic sanctions and UN resolutions just won’t be enough.
I would suggest that instead of another UN resolution condemning the assault on human dignity and the violation of human rights in Camp Ashraf. Instead of a UN resolution I suggest perhaps they send a multinational force to protect the people of Camp Ashraf.
For 30 years, administrations republican and democrat have tried to engage the mullahs. Ahmadinejad. One of the ironies of the whole debate. When he comes to the United States of America, enjoys the freedom of speech and can say whatever he wants to say, and he goes back home and decent is a crime punishable by death. There is something wrong with this picture. Think about this for this moment.
Initially, the decision I am told and the people in the administration have confirmed publicly that the MEK was put on a foreign terrorist list as a goodwill gesture, with the hope that the mullahs and the political leadership could be engaged, there could be some kind of peaceful resolution, reconciliation, so that the rights of all Iranians would be respected. It’s very difficult to extend goodwill to those who do not know what it means. It’s difficult to reach out a hand of friendship when the other hand is in a clenched fist. It hasn’t worked. It won’t work. It’s about time we accepted that fact: Time is running out, the time is now. Time for the U.S. to act is now. The only permanent answer to the nuclear threat in the world, from Iran, the potential destabilization of that, the only answer is regime change in Iran. The change affected by the will of people, by those who… you should applaud because it’s exactly what should happen, as my colleagues have said:
A couple of final words if I might.
Those of us who served in the military, none more distinguished than General Jones and I am proud to be in his company and proud to be on his side. Unfortunately I am a little older than he is, so I didn’t serve under him when I was in the military. I would have been proud to do so.
There are patriots everywhere in Iran and throughout the Middle East and north Africa. Soldiers are in a march towards democracy. and we have soldiers in Iraq who accepted the weapons of the men and women in the groups in Camp Ashraf and we provided them protection. The Geneva Convention was something that embraced them and it was our job to provide their protection and when our soldiers turned over the responsibility to Iraq security forces, we got a commitment, a commitment from Al Maliki’s government. I think it’s about time that we remind the government, and America is in the best place to remind them and the best country to remind them. We have lost thousands of men and women on your soil to give you the opportunity to be free, to give you the opportunity to form a self government. It’s quite ironic. We want the same thing to happen in Iran. it’s about time you lived up to your obligations, you made a commitment, keep it, keep it.
Psychological operations, the medical challenges, the violent incursions have got to stop and frankly, ladies and gentlemen, we need to put more pressure on the leadership there to make sure that that happens.
A couple of years ago, I took a long vacation, the first time I ever took one in public service and I have been in public service most of my life. I took a week, long time. I guess you’re coming out for 2 weeks holiday in France. I am not quite used to those. I’d like to take it.
I took it to Normandy. I had my children watch the first 15 minutes of a movie called “saving private Ryan”, pretty gruesome, the horror of war, some know it more than most. And finally they got so tired they said dad we have seen it enough. I said I don’t think you could ever see that enough. We are going to Normandy, we are going to stand on those bluffs*. You can imagine all the obstacles that the men in France, in Britain, in the United States had overcome to climb those cliffs, and wave after wave of individuals climb the cliffs, and we all know quite a few of them didn’t make it. We go to the cemeteries in Normandy, and they’re lined up perfectly, representing thousands of individuals from many countries who were willing to fight for democracy.
The interesting thing about what we have going on right now is that people of Iran are not asking for soldiers.
They are asking for freedom. They are asking for a delisting. That’s the least we can do. We can do the least with MEK.
I had the privilege of meeting Benazir Bhutto several months before she was assassinated. In preparation of meeting her, I happen to read some of her speeches. In one, she said: “you can imprison a man but not an idea. You can exile a man but not an idea. You can imprison, you can kill a man but not an idea”.
You can’t imprison, exile or kill the idea of democracy, of human rights, of self government.
So we stand in solidarity with you today to answer that question: where should America be? We should be protecting the people of Camp Ashraf. We should get help from our friends in the United Nations to quit passing resolutions, perhaps put a multinational force to do it if the al-Maliki government cannot, and we should delist the MEK.
Thank you very much.
