Al-Seyassah (Kuwaiti daily)
March 21, 2009
By Dawoud Basri
Following are excerpts from the Arabic text
Fearing further developments, Iran wants to close the case of “Mujahedin-e Khalq” [People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – PMOI/MEK] in Iraq.
The Iraqi National Security Advisor’s insistence, with the personal supervision of the security advisor himself, Mr. Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, who is an American employee in the Iraqi government, to end the presence of the Iranian opposition PMOI which has been in Iraq for the past three decades, is absolutely not in Iraq’s national interests to the extent that it is in full acquiescence with the Iranian regime’s desires to end this case.
This case represents a very dangerous element for the Iranian regime’s security, even though the Iranian opposition group’s movement is currently curtailed due to numerous known reasons and factors. What is more, after its removal from the list of terrorist organizations [by the EU], the PMOI is currently enjoying widespread recognition in Europe. This renders European countries clearly responsible with respect to the moral duties of protecting and supporting this group, especially when it comes to purely humanitarian aspects or the presence and displacement of refugees or refugee status applicants, and other humanitarian aid such as family visits.
The increasingly aggressive tone of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, recently about ending the movement’s presence in Iraq and specifically closing “Camp Ashraf” along the border was very clear. Moreover, the visit to Iraq by the so-called Chair of the regime’s Expediency Council, Hashemi Rafsanjani, was an attempt in escalating pressure on the Iraqi government to force it to act on its decision to close the camp and city in its entirety. This would lead to the occurrence of a human catastrophe. The situation has become dangerously more intense following the attack of armed security forces against the camp with heavy fire, placing it under siege, and preventing family visits between the residents and relatives from Iran. Iraqis have also been forbidden to enter the camp while repeated statements are issued by Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, which camp leaders deny as utter fabrications.
The crux of the matter here for us is the submission to the demands, desires and goals of the Iranian regime and the imperative of staying loyal to high and professional political standards in dealing with Iranian opposition forces. Managing regional disputes dictates that Iraqi decision makers must view Iraq’s national interests as the more supreme criterion when dealing with issues in the diplomatic scene. Handing the head of the Iranian opposition [i.e. Ashraf] over to the Iranian regime is a foolish act. It is neither in Iraq’s interests nor in the direction of a forward-looking regional policy.
In our view, there is absolutely no imaginable interests in sacrificing the Iranian opposition for the advantage of its enemy, especially when the Iranian regime continues to be an arms threat and bombs Iraqi territory from Basra in the south to Kurdistan in the north with heavy artillery. Moreover, intelligence and destructive activities by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are still being carried on at the highest level. Added to this is the military and non-military espionage activities of the Iranian regime. This was clearly demonstrated by the downing of a surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle in Balad city which was recently shot down by American forces. It shows that the Iranian regime is considered a serious threat for the future of security and peace in Iraq, and also that the regime has a harmful strategic agenda.
It is true that the Iranian regime’s allies are at the helm of the Iraqi government and that they feel they have to obey Iran’s “holy” orders because it is necessary and in line with their interests. However, it is only the US presence that controls the rules of the game in Iraq. Imagine the day that Americans are not in Iraq. What would be the fate of Ashraf City’s residents? The answer is clear: Mass obliteration. This is the goal that appears to be what Mr. Muwaffaq al-Rubaie attempts to reach in a very dangerous way. Before anything else, it would be a blow to Iraq’s future interests. Therefore, Iraqi politicians must be incredibly alert when it comes to the Iranian issue.