Rajavi is in US custody in Iraq
Irandidban, December 28, 2005
When Saddam’s dictatorial regime was ousted, and during the first hours of the occupation of Iraq by coalition forces, an envoy from the MKO informed US forces of Rajavi’s hiding place and his intention to surrender. So, Rajavi surrendered without any resistance in order to prevent possible damage.

After that, Rajavi agreed with the Americans to gather all his members (in Iraq) in camp Ashraf and put white flag on all their military vehicles; members were notified of these agreements.

Warmongers, who used Saddam’s support for the terrorist MKO as one of the excuses for attacking Iraq * and considered the occupation of Iraq as a preliminary step for invading Iran, decided from the beginning to use Rajavi’s band and its experiences against Iran. Therefore, they were still armed during the first days of Rajavi’s detention at Camp Mercury (former Badi’zadegan camp); they were even in control of a checkpoint in Dialah province and possessed their weapons in Camp Ashraf.

However, public opinion and the media in the west and the US very soon spotlighted the issue of double standards which was particularly sponsored by the Pentagon, and the White House was forced to hold an emergency meeting, issuing the disarmament order for the MKO.

Meanwhile, another strong group appeared in the US that asked for tough stance against the MKO; in the first place, this group proposed the exchange of MKO members with Al-Qaeda detainees in Iran.

This proposal was backed specifically by the expert views of the State Department and US policies in fighting terrorism. At that time, this group convinced the White House that in relations with Iran this group should not be used.

The treatment of Rajavi’s remnants was justified with the explanation of pursuing a policy of either “interaction” or “hostility” towards Iran.

Pentagonists never accepted that the MKO be recognized as an alternative; rather, they have always wanted to use this group for military and intelligence purposes against Iran. It doesn’t make any difference for them if the group is listed as terrorist or not; in addition, they never answer to public opinion.

The Council of Foreign Relations (specifically run by Brzezinsky) believes that supporting this group is indecent and that in interactions with Iran, the members of this group should be extradited to that country; they say that this group should be dismantled to show the US’s goodwill towards Iran.

On the other hand, some Iraqi officials and authorities oppose the presence of this group in Iraq; to solve the problem until a final decision is made about this group, they were granted - with flawed reasoning - the status of protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention (which was a temporary solution).

At the same time, those who discussed adopting a policy towards Iran and viewed MKO’s issue as a minor one related to Iran, continued their struggle. All the events and evidence - including the US’s submission to holding free elections in Iraq and quitting warmongering slogans - which have led to the weakening of warmongers show that those who believe in spending the MKO in deals with Iran have been successful.

The recent re-designation of the MKO as a FTO by the US, and leaving decision-making about them to the Iraqis reveal that the US is trying to show its goodwill to Iran. This goodwill will be shown in dismantling the MKO and extraditing its members to Iran.