Maryam Rajavi: The Iraqi government must abandon the illegal deadline to close Ashraf

the Iraqi Foreign Minister declared his government’s opposition to the designation of the special envoy of Baroness Ashton for Ashraf and his visit to Iraq. In blatant defiance of international law and obligations, Zebari emphasized that the Iraqi government “is committed to closing the base by the end of the year and is undertaking necessary measures to fulfill this plan”. At the same time, he repeated this ludicrous statement that his government shall observe the “international humanitarian law” in treating Ashraf residents.the Iraqi Foreign Minister declared his government’s opposition to the designation of the special envoy of Baroness Ashton for Ashraf and his visit to Iraq. In blatant defiance of international law and obligations, Zebari emphasized that the Iraqi government “is committed to closing the base by the end of the year and is undertaking necessary measures to fulfill this plan”. At the same time, he repeated this ludicrous statement that his government shall observe the “international humanitarian law” in treating Ashraf residents.
(Iraqi Foreign Ministry Website of September 22, 2011) In the eyes of those who glided to power on the blood of coalition troops and with United State’s weapons and unsparing assistance, attacking innocent human beings with armored vehicles and squashing them under the wheels of Humvees is considered to be a part of “international humanitarian law”! A secret document disclosed recently by Iranian Resistance signed by Farhad Ne’matollah Hussein, secretary general of Maliki’s Council of Ministers, leaves no doubt about this reality (Camp Ashraf military occupation – Statement No. 140; September 4, 2011).According to this document, Maliki issued the following scenario and instructions for the April 8 attack:
“1. Military action for cleansing parts of lands that have been occupied by the Organization and placing these lands under the control of Iraqi forces
“2. Propaganda campaigns about the aggressions this terrorist organization has committed to take over the agricultural lands of the farmers
“3. Mobilization of public opinion among tribal sheikhs and personalities in Diyala province in order to stage demonstrations and demand their rights in taking back their lands from this terrorist organization
“4. Taking measures with courts and judges to file complaints against this terrorist organization and asking for compensation…” Reminding the wave of assistance provided by the U.S. and EU to the Iraqi government, Maryam Rajavi described Baroness Ashton’s initiative to prevent Ashraf resident’s massacre as a vital measure. She said: “The international community must compel the Iraqi government to end its defiance of international laws and obligations. It must abandon the fictitious and illegal deadline to close down Camp Ashraf and it must accept the EU special envoy’s visits to Ashraf. This deadline was invented by Maliki after the April 8th massacre to divert public attention from a great crime against humanity.”
Maryam Rajavi reminded: “At a time that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has announced Ashraf residents’ legal status as asylum-seekers and protected persons by international law and is actively working to determine their disposition, Maliki and Zebari’s persistence on closing Ashraf by the end of the year and their refusal to accept Baroness Ashton’s special envoy for Ashraf is actually the announcement of yet another bloodbath to later be blamed on third countries for not transferring Ashraf residents out of Iraq in due time.”
Maryam Rajavi added: “In these circumstances, the UNHCR, according to the law, considers the Iraqi government to be the ‘host nation’ of PMOI members in Ashraf. In doing so, it leaves the “principal responsibility of Ashraf residents’ security and protection” to this government.  But these outlaws since the transfer of protection from U.S. forces to them at the beginning of 2009 have been the murderers and torturers of Ashraf residents and thus have been summoned to the Spanish National Court. Leaving the responsibility of protection to the Maliki government is to render it impossible. Especially that in addition to forces under Maliki command and the terrorist Qods Forces, Ahmad Chalapi, Ammar Hakim, Moqtada Sadr and other Iranian regime lackeys are constantly threatening Ashraf residents with murder, vengeance and prosecution. (Moqtada Sadr, the IRGC’s Fars news agency and the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security Website, Habilian, 19 September 2011; Ammar Hakim, Mehr news agency affiliated with Khamenei, 16 September 2011; Ahmad Chalapi, the Iranian regime’s Arab-language al-Alam satellite TV station, 30 May 2011) 
Two days prior to the April 8th attack, Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, Vice-President of the European Parliament and President of the International Committee in Search of Justice which represents 4,000 parliamentarians worldwide, wrote in a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State that Ahmed Chalapi’s April 4th statement against Ashraf residents leaves no doubt about the ominous intentions of the Iranian regime to attack Ashraf.Maryam Rajavi stated: “Therefore, the US, the UN Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and UNAMI should forthwith provide protection for Ashraf residents who have been attacked twice in July 2009 and April 2011. Six other attacks by Iraqi forces and Iranian regime elements in the period of 1 October 2010 to 7 January 2011 left 221 residents injured.”Highlighting the fact that the Ashraf residents are ready for individual interviews, Maryam Rajavi warned: “Considering the record of kidnappings, explosions, assassinations and attacks against logistic convoys to Ashraf, taking residents out of the camp for registration, interview or any other purpose is by no means acceptable unless helicopters are used for their transportation, like UN and western country staffs who travel to Ashraf, and the trip is under full UN protection and responsibility. A simple and practical solution is the separation of a section of Ashraf and its handover to UNAMI observers and UNHCR personnel so that they could separately and independently carry out their mission under the UN flag and swiftly reaffirm the refugee status of Ashraf residents in order to prevent another bloodbath.  This is what the Iraq government’s pressures and obstructions have prevented up until now.
The criterion for the Maliki’s government to be trustworthy of the UN and its breakaway from the yoke of the religious fascism ruling Iran are: acknowledgement of the refugee status of Ashraf residents, lifting the siege and terminating limitations, ending the psychological torture, and returning the jamming towers and 300 loudspeakers to Khamenei, who was recently visited by a number Maliki’s ministers receiving their full allegiance.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran 
September 25, 2011