European – American Conference in Paris: US, UN and EU obligations to avert a deadly humanitarian crisis in Ashraf

- Maryam Rajavi calls for urgent UN, US and EU intervention to cancel deadline, station UN monitoring team in Ashraf

- Iraqi government’s stonewalling measures against UNHCR’s work in Ashraf

NCRI - In an international session held in Paris on Saturday, November 5th at the initiative of the CFID Committee (French Committee for Democracy and Human Rights in Iran), European and American personalities called on the European Union, United States and United Nations to take immediate measures to cancel the Iraqi government’s illegal and repressive deadline to close Camp Ashraf by the end of 2011. This call comes after the announcement of US forces’ withdrawal from Iraq by President Obama and also Iraqi forces’ preparations for an attack against the camp.

By revealing the Iraqi government’s obstructions in the peaceful process to resolve the issue of Ashraf, this conference requested the UN Secretary General’s urgent intervention and the stationing of a permanent UN monitoring team in Ashraf.

The speakers at this conference were: Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance; General Hugh Shelton, former US Joint Chiefs of Staff (1997 – 2001); Ed Rendell, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1999-2001) and Governor of Pennsylvania (2002 – 2011); John Bruton, Prime Minister of Ireland (1994 – 1997) and the Ambassador of European Union to the US (2004-2005); Lord Peter Mendelsohn, European Union Commissioner (2004 –2008) and UK Deputy Prime Minister (2009); Robert Torricelli, US Senator (1997 – 2003); Romeo Florin Nikoara, Romanian Senator; Jean-François Le Garrett, Mayor of Paris 1st district; Jean-Pierre Béquet, member of the Valdoise Provincial Council and mayor of Auvers-sur-Oise.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, was the keynote speaker at this conference.

“The Iranian Resistance and Ashraf residents have been and are ready for any option other than annihilation and surrender,” she said. “However, the Iraqi government upon the orders of the Iranian regime has opposed all international proposals and efforts regarding Ashraf, obstructed the UNHCR’s process and transfer of Ashraf residents, and by setting a repressive deadline and attempts to relocate Ashraf residents is on the verge of massacring all of them. The fact is that the Iranian regime has only two options for Ashraf residents: surrender or massacre.”

“When the Iraqi government leads all avenues to a dead-end, one cannot remain in apathy,” Mrs. Rajavi added. “The relocations experienced during the NAZI’s rule must not be repeated,” she said.

Mrs. Rajavi emphasized that the US forces’ withdrawal from Iraq does not remove this country’s responsibility regarding the protection of Ashraf residents. “The time of sitting aside has come to an end,” she said calling on the US, EU, UN and Arabic Union. “You must firmly demand the cancellation of the Iraqi government’s lethal deadline, stand against its decision to relocate Ashraf residents by force, and make a decision in the Security Council to have UN monitors and blue-helmets station in Ashraf until the residents’ complete resettlement. Do not allow recurrence of the April 8th massacre.”

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
November 5, 2011