Bi-Partisan Congressional Caucus and Religious Leaders Support Anti-Fundamentalist Partnership between Iranian Opposition and Iraqi People to Neutrali

Bi-Partisan Congressional Caucus and Religious Leaders Support Anti-Fundamentalist Partnership between Iranian Opposition and Iraqi People to Neutralize Tehran's Secret War in Iraq
October 30, 2006

DENVER, Oct. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, in a press briefing hosted by the 'Colorado's Iranian American Community', a bi- partisan Congressional Caucus recognized the indispensable role of Iran's main opposition at Camp Ashraf in Iraq as a natural ally for Iraq's anti-fundamentalist and democratic forces in their efforts to neutralize Tehran's secret war in Iraq.

Congressmen Bob Filner (D-CA) and Thomas Tancredo (R-CO), the Co-Chairs of Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, presented the Caucus's bi-partisan policy recommendations.

Reverend John Gibbs, a former advisor to Congressman Al Green (D-TX), presented the support of several hundred religious and civic leaders and academics for the Iranian dissidents in Camp Ashraf and protection of their internationally recognized rights.

In his remarks, Representative Filner elaborated on Tehran's expanding role in weakening Iraq as a unified, democratic, and stable nation. Therefore, he said, "as long as our Iran problem is not dealt with, our Iraq problem will not be fully resolved."

Congressman Filner stressed that as a result of Washington's wrong Iran policies, the efforts of Iranian people's democratic opposition, particularly the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) to bring about change, has been hindered while Tehran has been increasingly emboldened in its drive for nuclear weapons.

He said the blacklisting of Iran's main opposition has resulted in hamstringing its vast potentials against Iran's ruling regime. "The terror tag has put several thousand volunteer dissidents in Camp Ashraf in a virtual house-arrest at a time when they could be a much needed positive force for helping Iranians in their quest for freedom and democratic change and a barrier against Iran's meddling in Iraq."

Congressman Tancredo stated that "The cause of defeating radical Islamic terrorism will be greatly advanced by the efforts of the Iranian opposition and the Iranian people... Their success means the end of a nuclear Iran, an Iran-controlled Iraq and will strike a blow against extremism in region and the world."

Underlining the strategic importance of the constructive role the PMOI (or MEK) in Camp Ashraf is playing in repulsing Tehran's advances in Iraq, Representative Tancredo said "In a declaration made by millions of Iraqis, people from all walks of life have described the main Iranian opposition group, located in Camp Ashraf in Iraq, as 'the most important cultural and political impediment to the Iranian regime's infiltration into Iraq.' Faced with such a growing anti-fundamentalist campaign, the Iranian regime has stepped up its pressure on the Iraqi government to expel Camp Ashraf residents."

At the conclusion of his remarks, Tancredo said "I join countless religious, academic, and civic leaders as well as millions of freedom loving people around the world in calling for... the full commitment of the Iraqi government to respecting the rights of residents of Camp Ashraf."

Emphasizing the pivotal role of the PMOI in Camp Ashraf in Iraq's burgeoning anti-fundamentalist front, Reverend Gibbs said "Although they have no weapons, it is their ideology that offers the anti-thesis to the vision of Tehran's regime." He stated that the PMOI "has a proven capacity to build bridges between Iraqis from all walks of life."

Reverend Gibbs concluded his remarks by calling on the U.S. administration time "to tap into this potential and place the PMOI in Ashraf at the center of efforts to neutralize the Tehran- problem we have in Iraq. We have launched an international effort to raise awareness in regards to this policy solution. Our international declaration, to date, has been signed by several hundred religious leaders, politicians and personalities."

The international declaration calls for:

1) Immediate investigation of the situation of human rights in Iran;

2) Decisiveness on the part of the world community against the Iranian terrorist regime's nuclear projects and meddling in Iraq, and;

3) Iraqi government's full commitment and respect of international conventions including the reaffirmation of the rights of Ashraf residents to political asylum in Iraq; Protection and respect for the rights of these political refugees under the Fourth Geneva Convention by the Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I), International Committee of the Red Cross, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Human Rights Council and UN Secretary General.

In closing remarks, Tim Ghaemi, president of Colorado's Iranian-American Community discussed the expansionist nature of Iran's foreign policy, manifested in its export of terrorism and fundamentalism abroad.

Ghaemi said "the road for the world to stop this barbaric fundamentalism expansion goes through the Iranian democratic opposition led by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi." Dismissing both the military option and appeasement of the mullahs' regime, as ineffectual and reckless policy options, Ghaemi called for supporting Rajavi's third option: democratic change by the Iranian people and their democratic opposition.