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U.S. and UN must prevent Iraq from stealing Ashraf residents properties

Stealing electricity cables, equipment and poles of Ashraf by Iraqi government and forces

Since Tuesday morning, 2 July 2013, Iraqi government and forces have started stealing electricity cables and equipment in the northeastern side of Ashraf which totally belong to the residents.

Since 9 AM, Iraqi military men along with several military vehicles and technical equipment started dismantling electricity cables and equipment in Ashraf and paid no attention to the protests of residents who are staying in Ashraf to safeguard the property based on a quadrilateral agreement between the GOI, U.S. government, UN, and the residents’ representatives. They continued stealing those items until 7 PM. On Wednesday morning, Iraqi forces resumed stealing electricity poles; until Wednesday noon, they had stolen at least 21 electricity poles.

These items are part of the network for lighting around Camp Ashraf. They were bought at the expense of residents and were installed after 1990. All purchase documents are available. The stolen items had been included in the list of residents’ property that was provided officially to the UN and has been registered by UNAMI. (Photos are enclosed)
The items being stolen had been sold to a British company in September 2012 under official approval of British Foreign Office, the Iraqi embassy in London and the British-Arab Chamber of Commerce. However, the GOI in complicity with Martin Kobler prevented the contract from being implemented.

In their plot for stealing Ashraf electricity equipment, Iraqi forces enjoy collaboration of Muhammad Hamdi, the director of Diyala province electricity department, who has long been involved in plundering Ashraf residents’ property. In an unlawful and absolutely false letter, he claimed last year that six 1.5 megawatt power generators of residents belong to the government; whereas the purchase documents of generators had already been provided by the residents to UNAMI and U.S. officials repeatedly. Muhammad Hamdi has already charged the residents with about one billion extra dinars for their electricity consumption and still continues this shameful extortion. He even charges the residents for the cost of electricity consumed by Iraqi forces around Ashraf.

Over the past year, Iraqi forces have resorted to stealing Ashraf residents’ property time and again, and all the cases have been informed to U.S. and UN officials. For example, on May 13, October 29, 2012 and February 5, 2013, Iraqi forces stole a 100 kw generator, a high voltage transformer and a big amount of electricity cables and equipment.

Iranian Resistance calls on U.S. government and United Nations, upon whose guarantees the residents left Ashraf, to take immediate measures to prevent plundering of Ashraf property that is the outcome of toil and investment of thousands of people for 26 years.
It is worth reminding that Martin Kobler wrote in an official document dated 6 September 2012 titled as “Final arrangement for the relocation of Camp Ashraf residents”: “only 100 residents would remain in CNI as guardians of the property. The GOI should provide protection for the property and remaining residents in CNI until the issue of property is resettled completely”.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran- Paris
July 3, 2013