Press Release By British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom
Urged for immediate international action to protect Camp Liberty residents and halt inhumane restrictions on the camp
MPs and peers from both Houses of Parliament and all major parties, prominent Middle East experts and jurists participated in a parliamentary conference at Westminster Hall in the House of Commons, on Thursday, July 16, organised by the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom (BPCIF) to discuss the quest for freedom and democracy in Iran.
The conference was broadcast live on internet and the panellists included, Rt Hon. David Jones MP, former State Secretary of Wales; Steve McCabe MP; Sir Roger Gale MP; Keir Starmer MP; Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE; Lord Maginnis of Drumglass; Lord Cotter; Struan Stevenson, President of the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) and chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq (2009-2014) and Dr Sabah al-Mukhtar, President of the London-based Arab Lawyers Association.
The participants expressed concern that the nuclear deal with Iran ignores six UN Security Council resolutions requiring Tehran to dismantle its nuclear programme and stop all uranium enrichment. The cross party panellists warned that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted, thus, compromising on the requirements stipulated in these resolutions will never block Tehran’s pathway to a bomb.
They further emphasised that Tehran needed a deal more than anyone else in fear of popular uprisings due to the growing dissent and the explosive social state in Iran following years of repression, corruption, mismanagement and the burden of international sanctions.
The panellists stated that if the P5+1 had been more decisive, Tehran would have no other option but to comply with the six UN Security Council resolutions, permanently give up its nuclear programme and efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and suspend altogether the enrichment of uranium.
Keynote speaker, Struan Stevenson, presented his new book “SELF-SACRIFICE” regarding the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI). “Whoever takes on the challenge of countering Iran should be certain of one thing; there is a credible opposition movement waiting in the wings to take over power from the evil mullahs, the PMOI and their inspirational leader Mrs Maryam Rajavi … Theirs is a vision of freedom and liberty for the oppressed millions in Iran. It is a vision that they have fought and died for”, Mr Stevenson said in his remarks.
The former Senior conservative MEP, also criticised the P5 + 1 nuclear deal with Iran as “an historic mistake” and said, “Determined to secure his footnote in history, Obama swept aside all warnings and fears and signed an agreement that effectively ends sanctions on the Iranian regime and releases over $150 billion of assets that were previously frozen. The West gets virtually nothing but empty promises in return … This is a windfall for a regime whose biggest export is terror; a regime which funds Hizbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the brutal Shi’ite militias in Iraq.”
The panellists strongly condemned the Iraqi National Security advisor, Faleh Fayaz, for ordering Iraqi forces to prevent the entry of food, fuel and septic tankers into Camp Liberty. They warned that the camp is currently on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe and urged the U.S., EU and the UN to take immediate measures in order to lift the repressive restrictions on the members of the Iranian opposition residing in the camp.
Rt Hon. David Jones MP announced a new set of policy recommendations to the UK government and the Prime minister David Cameron supported by nearly 100 MPs from all major parties and both Houses of Parliament calling for a firm policy on Iran and support for Iran’s democratic opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
“Our government along with our Western allies has pursued a conciliatory policy with Iran, hoping that would encourage the Iranian regime to change its behaviour. In this respect the Iranian opposition and the desire of the Iranian people for change were ignored. It is time to scrap that misguided approach”, the 100 signatories said in their initiative.
The NCRI UK representative, Dowlat Nowrouzi thanked the British Parliamentarians for standing with Iranian people to change the ruling religious dictatorship and for upporting Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point plan to establish human rights, equality and democracy in Iran.
She strongly condemned the fuel, medical and food siege on Camp Liberty defenceless residents by the Iraqi National Security advisor, Faleh Fayaz, at the behest of the Iranian regime and called on U.S., UN, UK and EU to demand new Iraqi government to abide by the International Agreements and stop torturing and killing of Ashraf residents, now at Camp Liberty…”
British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom
16 July 2015