Sunday, December 21, 2003

Iran's Prosecutor General: MKO's transfer will cost Europe, US dearly

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
12/21/03

Prosecutor General Abdolnabi Namazi warned on Sunday that the transfer of the criminal members of the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) to Europe from Iraq will cost Europe and the US dearly, IRNA reported from Tehran.

Addressing a press conference, Namazi said protection of the MKO members by any system would entail many political, economic and security consequences.

Namazi called on the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) to extradite those MKO members who were involved in criminal cases. He said that based on the Supreme National Security Council's approval those MKO members, who have not committed any crime can return to Iran.

Namazi said the approval concerns MKO members who have been deceived by the outlawed organization out of emotion and unawareness but have not taken part in any terrorist operation.
He said Iranian soldiers, deceived by the MKO during the eight-year war can also return home.
Meanwhile, an Iranian MP from Abadan (Khuzestan province) Abdollah Kaabi in an interview with IRNA on Saturday called for the extradition of the MKO members, saying they would have to stand trial.

Kaabi said the MKO members have acted as an instrument in the hands of the former Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein and have launched assaults against the Iranian people during the past two decades.

The MP said the MKO has been listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States and has not been allowed to operate freely in other states.

Kaabi called on the Iraqi interim governing council to pave the way for the extradition of some five thousands MKO members from Iraq to Iran so that they stand a fair trial.

Those who have been threatening the lives of the Iranian people from inside and outside the country are surely terrorists, violators of human rights and the other states should refuse to shelter or defend them.

The MP said the MKO has embarked on deadly attacks against Iranian civilians for years and in particular after the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and has even continued its inhuman and criminal actions until a few days before the US/British-led war on Iraq.

He called on the Iranian authorities to exercise a more active diplomacy for the extradition of the MKO members from Iraq to Iran. The MP's comments came after the Iraqi Governing Council set a 40-day deadline for the MKO members to leave Iraq.

The Iraqi Governing Council announced that it is to expel the MKO by the end of December and confiscate its assets. This was a unanimous decision to expel the terrorist organization from Iraqi territory by the end of this year and close its premises and stop its followers from any activity before then, read a statement issued by the Council. It added that the confiscated assets and weapons would be used for a fund to compensate victims of the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein, which allowed the Iranian group to operate from Iraq.

Iran welcomed warmly the Iraqi Governing Council's decision to expel the MKO members from Iraq.

Iran's Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani hailed the Governing Council measure and said in a press conference the move by the Council indicates its power to establish peace, security and stability in Iraq and in the whole of the Middle East region.