Arrested MKO members received special trainings in Europe
Iraqi tribes deplore MKO
.
... Several members of the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) detained during Tehran's recent unrests on December 27 (Ashoura Day) confessed that they had received special trainings in Europe to stage unrests in Iran ...
(Maryam Rajavi based in Terrorist group HQ in Paris!!)
FNA, Tehran, January 31, 2010
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8811101592
TEHRAN (FNA)- Several members of the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) detained during Tehran's recent unrests on December 27 (Ashoura Day) confessed that they had received special trainings in Europe to stage unrests in Iran.
The confessions by the MKO members were made during the second session of the court hearing for 16 suspects arrested during frenzies in Tehran on Ashoura day.
The court session started on Saturday was chaired by Judge Salavati in the 15th Branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
At the beginning of the session, the representative of Tehran's public and revolutionary courts prosecutor reiterated that the MKO members arrested on December 27 have all admitted to their roles in staging insecurities, riots and illegal gatherings and rallies in Iran.
The detainees confessed that they had undergone trainings both in the MKO headquarters in Iraq and in military camps in certain European countries, the prosecutor said.
The Iranian judiciary official continued saying that the arrested MKO members have also confessed to other crimes as espionage and intelligence gathering, bombing plots, assassination, propaganda against the Islamic Republic, writing anti-government slogans in public places and destroying public and private properties.
According to their confessions, the arrestees had plotted to run terrorist operations, including assassination of individuals, and put the blame on the Islamic Republic through rumors and propaganda, the prosecutor said.
He stressed that the indicted individuals also took footages from the post-presidential-election unrests and riots in Iran and sent them to their links abroad to be used as part of a propaganda campaign against the Islamic Republic.
The anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), in early January confirmed its role in Tehran's recent unrests after it declared to the amnesty International that Iranian security forces had arrested five members of the group after frenzy on December 27.
The terrorist group also announced that the five arrestees had come from their camp in Iraq's Diyala province near Baghdad where they have resided since the 1980s.
The MKO has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by many international organizations and countries including the United States.
The terrorist group targeted Iranian government officials and civilians in Iran and abroad in the early 1980s. The group also attempted an unsuccessful invasion of Iran in the last days of the Iraq-Iran war in 1988.
The anti-Iran terror group has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by many international entities and countries, including the US.
The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).
Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the camp are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.
A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations.
According to the Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the Islamic Revolution in Iran in a bid to take control of the newly established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran's new leaders in the early years after the Revolution, including the then President Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar and Judiciary Chief Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam's army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
The MKO was put on the US terror list in 1997 by the then President, Bill Clinton, but since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group has been strongly backed by the Washington Neocons, who also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.
* * *
Tribal Leader: Iraqi Tribes Deplore MKO
FNA, January 31, 2010
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8811111669
(Rajavi cult or MKO aslo known as Saddam's Private Army)
TEHRAN (FNA)- A prominent Iraqi tribe chief dismissed as "unreal" some recent claims by the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), that the country's tribal leaders have voiced support for the group.
"Iraq's tribal leaders have never supported the MKO and their propagandas in this regard are sheer lies and untrue," al-Birmani Tribe Chief Sheik Jowdat Kazzem said.
Kazzem made the statement in a meeting between several tribal leaders and Secretary-General of Iran's Habilian Association Seyed Mohammad Javad Hasheminejad.
At the meeting attended by tribe chiefs from Iraq's Baghdad, Meisan and Babel provinces, Jowdat underlined that all Iraqi tribesmen hate the terrorist group for its criminal acts during the Saddam era.
He further pointed out that Iraqi tribes have urged the central government in Baghdad to expel MKO members from the country.
The MKO has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by many international entities and countries.
The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran's new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam's army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
(Mehdi Abrishamchi and Massoud Rajavi taking orders from Saddam's head of secret services)
--------------
Also:
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7640
Senior Iraqi official: Washington backing for Saddam's Fedayeen is for Israeli interests
Court shows Saddam's Fedayeen beheading tape
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... Thirteen candidates were members of the Ba'ath party, and a further 182 belonged to Saddam's Fedayeen (Men of Sacrifice), a notorious military unit, and the former regime's intelligence service. Amid the election row, US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad last week to talk with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about the disqualification the candidates ...
Press TV, January 28, 2010
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117239§ionid=351020201
A senior Iraqi official has warned that Washington supports the return of former Ba'ath party members to power in a bid to bolster security arrangements with Israel.
Iraq's Justice and Accountability CommissionHead, Ahmed Chalabi told Press TV that the US tries to involve Iraq in its political security order in the region through the return of Ba'athists to power.
According to the official, Washington has developed a security order in the Middle East which involves some Arab states and Israel and the US will consider Iraq as a threat if it does not participate in this order.
Chalabi said Baghdad's decision to ban pro-Ba'ath candidates from participating in the country's upcoming general elections has been part of Iraq's constitution.
Iraq's election organizer, The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), banned about 500 people from running in the March 7 vote.
According to Parliament's Justice and Accountability Committee, all the banned candidates had links with Saddam Hussein's political and military apparatus.
Thirteen candidates were members of the Ba'ath party, and a further 182 belonged to Saddam's Fedayeen (Men of Sacrifice), a notorious military unit, and the former regime's intelligence service.
Amid the election row, US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad last week to talk with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about the disqualification the candidates.
His visit was aimed at persuading Iraqi officials to reverse the ban on candidates with links to the Ba'ath party.
Chalabi, however, said Parliament rejected Biden's proposal and the suggestion made no headway with the Iraqi leadership.
* * *
Court shows Saddam's Fedayeen beheading tape
Aswat al-Iraq, Baghdad, January 28, 2010
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=126060
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraq’s Supreme Criminal Court showed on Thursday a videotape of Fedayeen Saddam (Saddam’s Commandos) beheading three Iraqis in a public place in al-Nasseriya city, Thi-Qar province.
The executioners were dressed in black, veiled and with swords in hands, which was the regular style of Fedayeen Saddam, an armed group that was headed by Uday Saddam Hussein in pre-2003 Iraq.
The court session was attended by a number of defendants accused of this act. The petition was filed by a woman whose son was beheaded in the videotape, which showed the woman forced to attend the execution of her son.
Two of the defendants confessed during the session that they attended the slaughtering.
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Also:
Iraq once again rejected Americans proposal to let Saddaminsts back
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... Samarraie his reiterated his rejection of a proposal to exclude those included in the commission’s decision after the polls, scheduled to take place on March 7, 2010, the statement pointed out ...
Aswat al-Iraq, Januray 23, 2010
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=125738
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Parliament Speaker Iyad al-Samarraie on Saturday expressed his rejection of a U.S. proposal to allow those barred by the Accountability and Justice Commission to run in the upcoming election.
“On Saturday noon, Samarraie received U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to discuss the recent developments on the political scene in the run-up to the public election…,” according to a statement released by his media office and received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Samarraie his reiterated his rejection of a proposal to exclude those included in the commission’s decision after the polls, scheduled to take place on March 7, 2010, the statement pointed out.
The Accountability and Justice Commission had banned 511 candidates from running in the upcoming parliamentary election, citing their alleged affiliation to the dissolved Baath Party. Those banned included the head of the National Dialogue Front, Saleh al-Mutlak.
The commission’s decision has evoked varied reactions in Iraq and the United States.
In a phone call with Samarraie, Biden had suggested that those candidates who have been barred should disavow and condemn the Baath party and be allowed to run in the election.
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Also:
Maliki to Biden: Accountability, justice law applied in accordance with constitution
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... “The Accountability and Justice Law has been applied in accordance with constitutional and legal processes. It included all lists running in the election and did not target a specific party as some people allege,” Maliki said during his meeting with Biden, according to a statement released by his media office and received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency ...
Aswat al-Iraq, Baghdad, January 23, 2010
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=125730
Link to the original announcement (Arabic)
http://pmo.iq/index/03-1147.htm
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who is currently on a visit to the country, that his government had applied the Accountability and Justice Law in accordance with the constitution.
“The Accountability and Justice Law has been applied in accordance with constitutional and legal processes. It included all lists running in the election and did not target a specific party as some people allege,” Maliki said during his meeting with Biden, according to a statement released by his media office and received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
The Accountability and Justice Commission had banned 511 candidates from running in the upcoming parliamentary election, citing their alleged affiliation to the dissolved Baath Party. Those banned included the head of the National Dialogue Front, Saleh al-Mutlak.
The commission’s decision has evoked varied reactions in Iraq and the United States.
In a phone call with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Iyad al-Samarraie, Biden suggested that those candidates who have been barred should disavow and condemn the Baath party and be allowed to run in the election.
Original announcement
http://pmo.iq/index/03-1147.htm
-----------
Also:
http://iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7538
Blow to Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK) in Iraq as Saddamists excluded from election race
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Iran Interlink: Saleh al-Motlak’s Iraqi Front for National Dialogue has been excluded from Iraq’s elections. This move represents a harsh blow to the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq cult in Camp Ashraf, Diyala province. The group, which is due to be expelled from Iraq as a foreign terrorist entity, had been relying on the resurgence of former Saddamists - with whom Massoud Rajavi’s group is allied - in Iraq’s new parliament to help them remain in Iraq.
* * *
Motlak’s list out of election for Baath affiliations – source
Aswat al-Iraq, Baghdad, January 07,2010
http://en.aswataliraq.info/?p=124852
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Accountability and Justice Committee in Iraq has decided to exclude 14 entities, including Saleh al-Motlak’s, from the election racing for Baath affiliation, a parliamentary source said on Thursday.
“The list of Nihro Abdilkareem al-Kasanzani was excluded as well,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on condition of anonymity.
Motlak is the head of the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, while Kasanzani heads the Iraqi National Unity Grouping.
“The Committee demanded the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Iraq to provide it with the names of each member of those 14 entities to deprive them from joining the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq as candidates,” the source said.
But he explained that it would be hard to isolate those candidates on the grounds that the 14 entities have joined larger lists that emerged through political alliances.
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Also read:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=7489
Iraq’s decision to expel Washington backed Mojahedin Khalq terrorists backed by international law
. ... “The MKO has committed the most savage crimes against Diyalah people. They were involved in killing and torturing the 1991 Iraqi Shiite Intifada activists close to the Iranian border in Khaniqain Road and north Diyalah. So there’s no end to their terror efforts and it is a military force used by Saddam Hussein against the Iraqi nation,” Eng. Layla Tamimi said ... Habilian Association, Baghdad, December 30, 2009 Development Centre held a conference in Baghdad on the government’s decision to expel the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group. A number of Iraqi popular as well as media figures attended the conference, held in Baghdad Al-Mansour Hotel, to express their views on the issue, Habilian Association (families of Iranian terror victims) news website quoted Iraq’s Media Development Centre as reporting. -------------- Also read: Minister for Human Rights: Mojahedin Khalq will be removed shortly - MKO rights covered by Universal Declaration . ... Salim indicated that "the members of the MKO do not qualify as refugees, and are not covered by the Geneva Conventions, but the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects them," noting that the Universal Declaration "stresses the need for humane treatment covered by it, in addition ... Aswat al-Iraq, Baghdad, December 20, 2009 (translated by Iran Interlink) Salim told Aswat al-Iraq that the Iraqi government "carried out the first steps towards moving the residents of Ashraf camp to another camp inside the capital Baghdad under the supervision of UN representation in Iraq, as well as the Red Cross and American forces." Salim indicated that "the members of the MKO do not qualify as refugees, and are not covered by the Geneva Conventions, but the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects them," noting that the Universal Declaration "stresses the need for humane treatment covered by it, in addition to providing some of the items to them and ways to live without being forced to return to their home countries." She denied the Human Rights Ministry, which is responsible for a file on Ashraf camp, "has an intention [as part] of the Iraqi government to return them forcibly to their country of Iran, if they are unwilling. [The Ministry is] taking into account their transfer to a place where all available medical and social conditions of humanity exist, while ensuring their safe transportation and to not expose them to lack of these where they are. " In the same vein, Salim revealed, "the government approached the European countries to host them on their territory as refugees." Iraqi forces entered Camp Ashraf on the 15 December, where the members of the Iranian MKO live, to inform them of government's intention to transfer them to another camp in Baghdad in the coming days, and inviting elements of the Organization who wish to leave the camp to approach the Iraqi security forces stationed around the camp to take action on their behalf. ------- Also read: Iraqi MPs support the transfer of Mojahedin Khalq to Baghdad Demand America respect Iraqi sovereignty and invite them to take responsibility for protecting MKO . ... the Government would deal with members of the People's Mojahedin Organization humanely, but at the same time we want the United States to respect our decision and comply with non-interference in the internal affairs and sovereignty over Iraq’s territory, as we do not want to alienate our relations with neighbouring countries ... Aswatal-Iraq, Baghdad, December 14, 2009 Translated by Iran Interlink BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi lawmakers on Monday expressed support for the Government plan to transfer members of the Mojahedin Khalq, an Iranian opposition, to Baghdad, calling on the U.S. Government to respect the decision as a sovereign right of Iraq. But the Vice-Council has urged the U.S. Government to take over responsibility for security for the camp’s members who should be transferred to the U.S. Forces. The MP, Abdul Hadi al-Hassani, said in respect of the rule of law, the Government would deal with members of the People's Mojahedin Organization humanely, but at the same time we want the United States to respect our decision and comply with non-interference in the internal affairs and sovereignty over Iraq’s territory, as we do not want to alienate our relations with neighbouring countries. Mr al-Hassani told Aswat al-Iraq that the Iraqi Government sees "the need to remove the MKO from the Iranian border and the PKK from the Turkish border," pointing out that the two sides "are a danger to Iraq's relations with its neighbours ". He explained that the Government's holds documents and pictures which are compelling evidence "which condemns the members of the MKO and the PKK for their armed operations during the former regime and the current phase." The United States yesterday called on the Iraqi government to treat the Iranian dissidents, living on Iraqi territory for twenty years, humanely following the announcement of the transfer of the MEK camp to Baghdad. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, we urged the Iraqi authorities to go about the transfer of Camp Ashraf in a legitimate and humanitarian way, emphasizing Iraqi sovereignty over all Iraqi territory, including the area on which Camp Ashraf stands. And the Iraqi government assured us that "it would not expel any of these persons to a country where they may face inhuman treatment”. On the other hand, the Deputy of the Iraqi National Coalition, Hamid Malp, in a statement rejected the U.S. State Department demand that the Iraqi government deal humanely with the members of the MKO which were involved in terrorism in Iraq during the former regime as well as now embracing armed groups in Diyala and Baghdad." Malp told (Voices of Iraq) that there is intelligence information with the Government which "emphasizes the organization and financing of a link from some quarters outside the law." In an afterthought he said "his forces would take the decision to hold people accountable only after support and documentation of this information," he says. Malp said that the transfer to the MKO camp to Baghdad, "will lead to positive results in the various sectors," pointing out that the Organization's presence in Diyala has been "a controversial subject for a long time." The Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Thursday, 10 December, that the population of Camp New Iraq (formerly Camp Ashraf) would be transferred next week to Baghdad. The Iraqi Government took over responsibility for security inside Camp Ashraf from U.S. forces early this year and re-named it Camp New Iraq in August. In the same context, Mohammed Tamim, MP for the Dialogue Council, said the U.S. State Department's demand for the Iraqi government to deal with the MKO humanely was "insufficient" and called on U.S. forces to "take over security responsibility for the camp, so the Iraqi government can transfer members of the organization to the U.S." Tamim told Aswat al-Iraq that the decision to transfer the members of the Mojahedin from Camp Ashraf to Baghdad after two days of bombings (Bloody Tuesday) was "erroneous and imported from Iran." He said the decision was a “negative step resulting from the Iraqi Government’s efforts to convince the Iranians that the MKO was behind explosions that occur in the country". Attorney Tamim said that the people of Camp Ashraf are "refugees, entitled to Iraqi Government help to provide an appropriate atmosphere to them after their escape from a terrorist group, such as is the obligation of the Arab and international community.” According to the MP from the Kurdistan Alliance bloc Abdul Bari Zebari, "the Iraqi Government condemns the group for their documented participation in the suppression of the popular uprising in 1991 and attack on the worshipers in a mosque in Sadr City in Baghdad the same year, and that the regime of Saddam Hussein used the MKO to attack his opponents." Zebari told Aswat al-Iraq that he believed that the Government "only took the decision to transfer the group to Baghdad after discussion with the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and after guaranteeing the members of the Organization would not be exposed to danger”. He added, "For the time being we should not repeat the process of involving the embassy in local affairs as happened when Iraqi security forces entered into Camp Ashraf for the establishment of a police base inside it." The Mojahedin Khalq, an Iranian opposition group, numbers about 3500 people, based in Camp Ashraf, which covers an area of 16 square kilometres, 55 km north of Baquba, capital of Diyala province where it has been based since 1986. .jpg)
(Massoud and Maryam Rajavi the cult leaders)
http://www.habilian.com/view-en.asp?ID=04918
Dr Adnan Siraj, head of Iraq’s Media Development Centre, Dr Hassan Salman, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Iraqi Media Network (IMN), Dr Tariq Harb, Iraqi well known lawyer, Dr Ali Shalah, member of the Board of Trustees of the IMN, and Eng. Layla Tamimi were the main guest speakers.
“Iraq doesn’t recognize the MKO”
“The MKO cooperated with Iraq’s enemies through holding meetings with Iraqi dissidents following the fall of Saddam Hussein. This led to the government’s decision to expel any terrorist groups, including the MKO, from the country,” Dr Adnan Siraj said.
“The MKO has forgotten that it is a terrorist group recognized neither by Iraq nor the rest of the world. They were doomed to leave Camp Ashraf in December 15 so that they would be moved to any country who would accept them. Camp Ashraf, the cult’s main base in Diyalah province, will turn into a public entertainment centre for the local people,” Siraj added.
“MKO not asylum-seekers”
“At one time, the MKO had tanks and light and heavy artillery and moved to Iraq upon a political decision by the then Iraqi regime at the height of Iran-Iraq war. There was also a Western agreement behind this. Therefore, the cult members cannot be regarded as asylum-seekers, since they left Iran for France and then were moved to Iraq by France and Britain,” Dr Hassan Salman said.
“The cult’s presence in Iraq thus could be regarded as a political, military and security decision. The MKO is regarded as a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries,” Salman said, who was recently threatened to death by the terrorist cult.
“The cult didn’t enter Iraq as usual asylum-seekers but as a result of a political decision to be used against Iranian and Iraqi people,” Dr Ali Shalah repeated referring to problems made by the MKO’s presence in Iraq.
“Iraq’s decision backed by international law”
“The Iraqi government’s decision to expel terrorist groups is backed not only by the Iraqi Constitution but also international law,” Dr Tariq Harb insisted.
“According to the international law, any country can make their own laws on giving asylum. The MKO terrorist cult has no lawful right to stay in Iraq,” Harb reminded.
“MKO involved in Iraqi massacres”
“The MKO has committed the most savage crimes against Diyalah people. They were involved in killing and torturing the 1991 Iraqi Shiite Intifada activists close to the Iranian border in Khaniqain Road and north Diyalah. So there’s no end to their terror efforts and it is a military force used by Saddam Hussein against the Iraqi nation,” Eng. Layla Tamimi said.
http://iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=7456
link to the original (Arabic)
http://ar.aswataliraq.info/index.php?s
=%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraq’s Minister of Human Rights Ms. Widjan M. Salim, said on Sunday that the entry into the camp under the supervision of the Iraqi forces was a move "first" to inform them of the determination of the Iraqi government to move them to a camp in Baghdad.
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7407
link to the original (Arabic)
http://ar.aswataliraq.info/?p=188596
-------------
Also read:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7582
CIA, Baathists meet in Yemen!!
.
... The Americans, with whom Saddam was allied until 1990, reportedly want to create a special anti-jihadist unit. They no longer trust Saleh's Political Security Organization, which they say has been heavily penetrated by al-Qaida. During the 1990-91 Gulf crisis triggered by Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, Saleh was one of the few Arab leaders to support Iraq ...
(Issat al-Douri was directly in Charge of MKO terrorists for over 20 years)
UPI, January 15, 2010
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/01/11/CIA-seeks-truce-with-Iraqi-Baathists/UPI-21111263231071/
BAGHDAD , Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The Central Intelligence Agency is reported to have recently conducted secret contacts in Yemen with Iraqi Baathist leader Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Saddam Hussein's former vice president, in a bid to negotiate a political accord between Sunni insurgents and the Shiite-led Baghdad government.
The Paris-based Intelligence Online Web site said other meetings were held with Baathist leaders in Damascus, the Syrian capital where Douri and his associates reportedly live.
The objective is to reconcile the minority Sunnis, who were the backbone of Saddam's tyrannical regime, and the majority Shiites, who were brutally suppressed by that regime, before crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for March 7.
There was no official confirmation of the Intelligence Online report by Washington or Baghdad. But it coincided with reports that U.S. counter-terrorism agents were working with former Saddam-era Iraqi intelligence officers in Yemen to counter the growing al-Qaida threat there.
The regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was close to Saddam and has long employed Iraqi army officers to lead its 67,000-strong armed forces.
Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, hundreds of former military and intelligence officers who served Saddam have flooded into Sanaa.
The Americans, with whom Saddam was allied until 1990, reportedly want to create a special anti-jihadist unit. They no longer trust Saleh's Political Security Organization, which they say has been heavily penetrated by al-Qaida.
During the 1990-91 Gulf crisis triggered by Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, Saleh was one of the few Arab leaders to support Iraq.
Yemen at that time was a member of the U.N. Security Council and cast the only vote against a resolution permitting the use of force to drive Saddam out of Kuwait.
"That will be the most expensive 'no' vote you'll ever cast," a U.S. diplomat told the Yemeni ambassador.
Washington cut off its $70 million aid package to Yemen. Now President Barack Obama is doubling U.S. military aid to Sanaa to $150 million.
The CIA effort got under way early in the summer through the good offices of the head of Jordan's General Intelligence Department, Mohammed al-Raqqad, Intelligence Online said.
According to Intelligence Online, the CIA wants to reconcile Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites before the U.S. military withdrawal is completed by the end of next year so that the Americans can leave a stable, united state behind them.
The prospects of a deal appear to be slender.
"Aware of their capacity to create mayhem in the run-up to the legislative elections, the Baath Party stalwarts are laying down draconian conditions for any halt to violence," the French Web site reported.
It listed their terms as "readmission of their militants to the civil service and the army and revocation of legislation punishing any political affiliation with the former regime."
Iraq's Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is currently conducting a major crackdown against the Baathists, who he blames for three waves of suicide bombings in central Baghdad in August, October and December that killed some 400 people.
At the same time, Maliki's political credibility took a drubbing that could seriously affect his prospects of re-election in the March polls.
If the CIA's strategy fails, Intelligence Online warned, "The American military could well leave behind a country in the midst of a civil war."
Maliki's security adviser, Safa Hussein, warned in December that al-Qaida in Iraq has now fallen under the influence of the Baathists, led by Douri and his main rival, Gen. Mohammed Yunis al-Ahmad.
On Friday the government banned 15 parties from contesting the March poll because they had been linked to the Baath Party or promoted its ideals.
But the outlawed Baath remains a palpable presence. In November a mysterious television channel praising Saddam began broadcasting -- nobody knows from where -- on the anniversary of his execution in 2006.
The so-called Saddam Channel, reportedly run by Douri's people, disappeared after three days of showing footage of Saddam in his heyday and playing patriotic songs urging viewers to "liberate our country."
Douri, the last high-ranking fugitive from Saddam's rule still at large with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, regularly exhorts Iraqis to topple the Baghdad government and restore the Baath to power.
Douri, 65, last surfaced on an audiotape broadcast by al-Jazeera on April 9, the anniversary of the founding of the Baath, which ruled from 1968 until Saddam was toppled by the Americans in 2003.
(Issat al-Douri was directly in Charge of MKO terrorists for over 20 years)
(Maryam Rajavi directly ordered the massacre of Kurdish people)
(MKO members massacared the Iraqi Kurds in 1991)
(Rajavi cult or MKO aslo known as Saddam's Private Army)
(Massoud Rajavi and Saddam Hussein)
(Mehdi Abrishamchi and Massoud Rajavi taking orders from Saddam's head of secret services)
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Also:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7518
Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Show solidarity with Iranian people by curbing Mojahedin Khalq terrorists in London
.
... Massoud Khodabandeh told the British Prime Minister, “we would expect that you act immediately to prevent the incitement to violence by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq from inside the U.K. In doing so you would remove from Iranian hardliners their main excuse for crushing the people’s legitimate protests to bring about change in their own country.” ...
CNBC, January 04, 2010
http://www.cnbc.com/id/34686287
also:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS99721+04-Jan-2010+PRN20100104
An open letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown , today asked his government to stop incitement to violence being broadcast into Iran by a terrorist group from London. Massoud Khodabandeh, of Leeds based Middle East Strategy Consultants , said, “The Iranian people’s courageous, peaceful demonstrations to achieve their natural freedoms and rights are being fatally undermined from within the U.K.”
Khodabandeh said the Mojahedin-e Khalq (aka MKO, MEK, NCRI, PMOI, Rajavi cult) is broadcasting incitement to violence from London through its satellite programme Sima-ye Azadi . The group is also known to be financed through British based banks. “Britain, following Washington’s lead, has put herself in a position where she is seen to support terrorism. This is not in our interests.” said Khodabandeh.
Hardliners in the Iranian government yesterday imposed zero tolerance on street protests after it was found that members of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq cult had been dispatched to Iran to foment violence among the ordinary protestors.
In August 2009, Massoud Khodabandeh published a second report following consultation with the Iraqi government on plans to expel the cult from Iraq. An Iraqi government official stressed that terror teams could not have been sent from Camp Ashraf after American forces handed over control of the terrorist base to Iraq in January 2009.
Although the MKO remains on the U.S. terrorism list , the group operates freely from bases in Paris, London and Germany where the terrorist group’s members are “fully trained in terrorism and are ideologically committed to the violent overthrow of the Iranian government”.
In the context of the nuclear issue, regime change would be a desirable outcome for the British government, but this “must not be pursued through the use of terrorism or terrorist groups”, said Khodabandeh. The letter said, “We cannot ask a terrorist group to renounce violence and give up terrorism. Instead we are asking your government to curb their activities in line with British law and with your government’s own stance on terrorism.”
Massoud Khodabandeh told the British Prime Minister, “we would expect that you act immediately to prevent the incitement to violence by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq from inside the U.K. In doing so you would remove from Iranian hardliners their main excuse for crushing the people’s legitimate protests to bring about change in their own country.”
ENDS
Note to editors
Massoud Khodabandeh is the director of Middle East Strategy Consultants Ltd which also operates the information website www.Iran-Interlink.org . Mr Khodabandeh has been involved in Middle East politics for over thirty years and is a leading expert on the Mojahedin-e Khalq organisation. Since 2008 he has acted as consultant to the Government of Iraq on plans to expel foreign terrorist groups.
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The original letter,
Massoud Khodabandeh, January 04, 2010
Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Show solidarity with Iranian people by curbing Mojahedin Khalq terrorists in London
Dear Gordon Brown,
Alongside your government, we applaud those ordinary Iranian citizens who are determined to exercise their right to have their voices heard. As your government says, “they are showing great courage”. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, has stressed that people had the right to protest peacefully without being beaten and jailed. We agree.
It is a shame therefore that the Iranian people’s courageous, peaceful demonstrations to achieve their natural freedoms and rights are being fatally undermined from within the U.K..
The people of Iran deserve to be supported in their own efforts, on their own terms and should not be expected to shoulder the burden and pay the price of other agendas. Yet this is exactly what has happened over the past few days, weeks and even months.
Clearly the essential problem your government has with Iran is over the nuclear issue. Should your government come to some agreement or should the US government accept a deal with Iran, would your government really be any more interested in the right of the Iranian people to protest freely against their government than you are currently interested in the rights of people in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, … . In this context, regime change would be a desirable outcome of the unrest inside Iran. But even if we accept that you, the US and the Israeli governments have the right, in your own interests, to work towards changing the government of another country, surely regime change (to establish a government which would accept the terms of US administration on the nuclear issue) must not be pursued through the use of terrorism or terrorist groups.
Today, Iran’s Interior Ministry has ordered a complete crackdown - zero tolerance - on street protests on the grounds that the disturbances are being led by foreign interference (British, U.S., and Zionism) acted out by the Washington backed Mojahedin-e Khalq terrorist group.
Unfortunately the Iranian government’s excuse for this appalling situation has come from within the U.K. itself. The hardliners in Iran have demonised Britain by broadcasting together clips from the BBC Persian Service and the terrorist group Mojahedin-e Khalq’s satellite programme Sima-ye Azadi.
The link? Both are broadcast from London. Both are financed through banks in London.
In recent days Sima-ye Azadi, as broadcast from London, has been incessantly inciting ordinary people to commit violence during the recent protests in Iran. The programme urges people to arm themselves with firearms and other weapons and to target government personnel and facilities. Iran’s security forces have arrested several individuals who claim to be MKO members who have been sent to Iran in order to incite violent resistance during anti-government protests. This includes the alleged assassination of Seyyed Ali Moussavi, nephew of former presidential candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi by MKO operatives.
Interestingly, a source in the office of Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki, has confirmed that it would have been impossible for any MKO member to have been dispatched to Iran from Camp Ashraf in Iraq since the Government of Iraq took control of the camp in January 2009. However, the MKO’s members who live freely in Europe are fully trained in terrorism and are ideologically committed to the violent overthrow of the Iranian government. It is therefore most probable that these teams have been dispatched from here.
Your government has criticized the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. Unfortunately, your government has not made clear its position on the use of terrorist tactics during these protests. We cannot ask a terrorist group to renounce violence and give up terrorism. Instead we are asking your government to curb their activities in line with British law and with your government’s own stance on terrorism.
The massive turnout to counter theprotest demonstrations and the severe government crackdown on anti-government street protests would not have been possible if it had not been for the involvement of the MKO. The severity of the response -reports suggest a turnout of over 3 million people in Tehran only - is not against the ordinary citizens of Iran but against a known terrorist group which has tried with western support to hijack the protest movement for a different agenda.
Iranian government run media has broadcast telephone conversations from the MKO’s base in London, intercepted following the June election protests, in which an MKO leader is ordering terrorist acts in Tehran. Your government cannot have been unaware of this activity and yet has done nothing to prevent or prosecute those responsible under British law.
Britain, following Washington’s lead, has put herself in a position where she is seen to support terrorism. This is not in our interests.
The Mojahedin is known to Iranians inside and outside the country as a Washington/Zionist backed terrorist group. It is known worldwide as Saddam’s private army, responsible for the murder of tens of thousand of Iraqis, Iranian, Americans and Europeans. But, as you are aware, its media and financial support are based in London.
We would expect that you act immediately to prevent the incitement to violence by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq from inside the U.K.. In doing so you would remove from Iranian hardliners their main excuse for crushing the people’s legitimate protests to bring about change in their own country.
I am sure your government has enough information on this situation, but if not, please feel free to contact me so that I can apprise you of these facts.