Decision to close MKO’s Ashraf Camp irreversible: Maliki
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, Dec 15, IRNA -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that his government’s decision to close Ashraf Camp of the outlawed anti-Iran Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) will not change.
'Iraq's decision to close a camp housing Iranian dissidents by year-end is irreversible,' Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday in reaction to a UN call for delaying closure of Ashraf Camp.
Camp Ashraf which is located north of Baghdad houses some 3,400 MKO members which Washington blacklists as terrorist.
'The decision we made is irreversible, especially because this organization refused the visit of a UN representative to Camp Ashraf. They've rejected the UN plan, which means this is a criminal gang and we cannot permit a criminal gang to remain here,' Maliki said.
Saddam Hussein allowed MKO, also known as Munafiqeen, to set up the camp when his forces were at war with the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 1980s.
When Saddam was overthrown in the US-led invasion of 2003, the camp came under US military protection but US forces handed over security responsibility to the Baghdad authorities in January 2009.
The Iraqi government says the camp is a threat to its relations with the neighboring Iran and is demanding its closure by December 31.
But last week the United Nations appealed for an extension to the deadline to allow more time for a solution to be negotiated with the camp's residents who are refusing to move unless they are 'given UN protection.'
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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30714493
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