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| Dr. Bassam al-Omoush, a former Jordanian minister |
Dr.
Bassam al-Omoush, a former Jordanian minister of administrative development and
former Ambassador to Tehran, has called for Iraq’s National Security Advisor
Faleh Fayyad to be replaced and international protection be provided to members
of the main Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran
(PMOI or MEK) in Camp Liberty in Iraq.
Dr.
al-Omoush issued a statement regarding the October 29 missile attack on Camp
Liberty and reminded the international community of its responsibility to
secure the wellbeing and protection of the camp’s residents.
Excerpts
of his statement:
On
October 29, 2015, a deadly attack on Camp Liberty by elements of Iranian regime
in the government and security forces of Iraq led to hundreds of casualties
among the camp’s residents, including 24 dead, and the destruction of large
sections of the camp. Located in one of the most protected areas of Baghdad and
near the Baghdad International Airport and place of deployment of U.S. forces,
this attack on the camp would have been impossible without the collaboration of
part of the Iraqi state and security apparatuses.
A
year and a half after the removal of Nuri Maliki from power in Iraq, the file
of Camp Liberty remains in the hands of Faleh Fayyad, a well-known element of
the Iranian regime who has been directly involved in the massacres of the
residents over the past seven years.
Despite
many international calls, the government of Iraq continues to dodge its
responsibilities in protecting the camp and has not initiated any
investigations into the October 29 massacre.
Moreover,
Iraqi forces are barring attempts to normalize the conditions in the camp
devastated by the missile attack and are also hampering delivery of food, fuel
and basic needs to the residents.
We
are thus calling on our own government, the United Nations, the U.S. government
and the European Union to compel the government of Iraq to live up to its
commitments to the residents, and in particular:
1. Camp Liberty should be designated a refugee camp under UNHCR
supervision to ensure residents’ security by the UN.
2. Immediate needs of Camp Liberty should be provided following the
missile attack to normalize the condition of the camp.
3. Camp Liberty’s file should be removed from the hands of Faleh
Fayyad, and those managing the camp ought to be replaced with individuals not
associated with the Iranian regime.
4.
The residents should be allowed to sell their property in [Camp] Ashraf or be
reimbursed for it to be able to provide for their expenses.
