By Paul Vallely, MGOn Monday, 26 January 2009, the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers decided not to renew the terrorist listing of the Mujahedeen-e Khalq, the main Iranian opposition group. The decision came on the heels of the delisting of the group in the U.K. and several European Court of Justice decisions that found insufficient evidence for the EU designation. According to MG Paul Vallely (U.S. Army Ret., IPC Advisory Council), "Now that Iraqi Security Forces have responsibility for Camp Ashraf and some 3,000 plus Iranian residents, the Iranian regime's modus operandi clearly suggests that there will be increased pressure from Tehran to extradite Ashraf residents in violation of their protected persons status under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Given the political climate in Baghdad, the pressure could be too great for Baghdad to resist. At the time that Tehran is promoting violence by Hamas in Gaza, it is continuing to fill a vacuum in Iraq as the United States Forces are gradually drawing down. As well, Iran is moving closer to having deployable nuclear weapons and now is not the time for the United States to make concessions to the Iranian regime by ceding responsibility for the main Iranian opposition to Baghdad." [more...]
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