Iraqi parliament for expulsion of MKO Iranian group from Iraq
Iraq-Iran, Politics, 12/24/2008

On the threshold of a landmark visit of the Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki to Iran, Head of Iraqi Parliament's National and Defense Commission Hadi al-Amiri yesterday urged the Iranian opposition group MKO, based in Iraq, to leave the country.

Speaking to reporters, he said Iraq's members of parliament passed legislation urging MKO members to leave the country because their presence would harm the country's friendly ties with Iran.

Presence of this terrorist group runs counters to the country's constitution, he underlined.

Iraq's Constitution forbids the presence or activities of organizations on Iraqi territory which are opposed to neighboring countries, he said.

The New York Times reported two days ago a response by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, an umbrella group of which the MKO is the largest component which said that "This reflects the hysterical pressure being applied by the regime of the mullahs on the Iraqi government after it signed the security agreement with America."

The New York Times report describes the group as "Since 2003 the People's Mujahedeen, who are mostly Shiite, have been assiduously courting Sunni politicians and tribal leaders in the area. In June, they held a large gathering at their camp attended by several prominent Sunni Arab members of Parliament who are openly hostile to the Iranian government. This meeting set off a political storm in Baghdad, with Shiite parties close to Iran calling for the censure of the members."

The US Department Of State spokesman Sean McCormack was asked about the expulsion yesterday. He said "I know that we’re talking to the Government of Iraq. This is part of the process of handover responsibilities that was – has been taking place for quite some time. But also, it’s also now memorialized and enshrined in the recent agreements that we’ve signed with the Iraqi Government.
We wanted to ensure that rights are protected, that any individuals, whether they are in Camp Ashraf or elsewhere, that their rights are protected whether they remain in Iraq or they end up elsewhere. So that is our general concern."

He added "As for the disposition of these particular individuals, it’s probably, at this point, too early for me to offer any particular comment as to where they might end up. But our – we will continue to monitor the situation and take a look at it with respect to those general principles that I’ve outlined." Asked that the Iraqis' idea would be to send them back to Iran, McCormack said "This is an ongoing process right now. I don’t think the end of the story has been written. You know, ultimately, Iraq is a sovereign country and they have a large degree of say over what happens with respect to the people in their territory. I say “large degree of say,” because there are also international standards and conventions that one would want to make sure that the Iraqis as well as any country around the world abided by. But this is an ongoing story that the conclusion of which has not yet been written."

Previous Stories:
  Iraqi cabinet wants MKO expulsion from Iraqi territory   (6/23/2008)
  Iran protests UK decision on Mujahedin Khalq Organization   (5/13/2008)
  Iraqi ambassador: MKO terrorists presence not permanent   (3/5/2008)

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