Pledge of 100 million dollars to the trust fund
property Maryam Rajavi expressed gratitude for the initiative taken on by UN Secretary-General for the Trust Fund aimed at transferring Liberty residents to other countries and once again stressed payment of 100 million dollars from sale of Ashraf residents’ property to this fund.
She stated that this matter has already been brought to the attention of UN Secretary-General, his Undersecretary for Political Affairs, and his Special Representative for Iraq through Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, vice-President of European parliament and President of the International Committee In Search of Justice, and Mr. Struan Stevenson, President of Delegation for Relations with Iraq at the European parliament. They reminded that if Government of Iraq (GoI) allows sale of the property to the British company to go ahead, 100 million dollars from this sale will be deposited in the Trust Fund set up at the initiative of Secretary-General.
On this basis, Rajavi called on the Iraqi government to cooperate with Senator Torricelli, residents’ legal representative for sale of Ashraf residents’ property.
In September 2012, Ashraf residents signed a contract with a British company for the sale of all movable and unmovable property in Ashraf for 550 million dollars. This contract was confirmed by Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Iraqi Embassy in that country, and the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce. However, through threatening representative of the company in Iraq to death by Iraqi forces and confiscation of company’s property, implementation of the contract was obstructed.
Sale of residents’ property has been confirmed in the September 5, 2013 plan of United Nations as well as in a letter by Ms. Elizabeth Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Regretfully, despite passage of two months, government of Iraq refuses to allow sale of residents’ property. In the UN plan of September 5 it is stipulated:
– The GOI shall allow the residents to sell their property at any time.
– The GOI shall safeguard and guarantee all Ashraf property.
Writing on this subject to Rajavi on September 6, before the remaining Ashraf residents were transferred to Camp Liberty, Ms. Elizabeth Jones, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs , said: If you agree with UNAMI plan for transfer of the remaining residents of Ashraf,” the United Nations will help facilitate the safeguarding of the property at Ashraf through your retention of a trusted local security firm. The U.S. Embassy will do its utmost to support these efforts.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
November 2, 2013
