Brussels, 02/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - Although 210 MEPs called in a letter on 27 March for Special Representative Martin Kobler to be replaced (see EUROPE 10817), the S&D Group at the European Parliament stressed on 28 March that it fully supported Kobler's efforts, and those of the United Nations assistance mission for Iraq, for the complete and permanent resettlement of the residents of Camp Liberty.
In Maria Muniz de Urquiza's view, both the choice of speakers at the conference organised by the Friends of Free Iran on 27 March (see EUROPE 10817) and the “unsubstantiated allegations” about Kobler “suggest that the organisers of this event do not seek a genuine solution to this humanitarian issue”. “Rather, their efforts are directed at undermining the work of (…) Martin Kobler, and the progress made in resettling the camp's residents”, she stated, reiterating that this resettlement is a priority.
In its press release, the S&D Group says that the “legitimate concerns about the safety of the residents of Camp Liberty” should “under no circumstances lead to the legitimisation of the People's Mojahedin Organisation (PMOI) as the self-declared 'principle Iranian opposition movement'”. The S&D Group says that the PMOI “has a long track record of collaboration with Saddam Hussein's dictatorship in Iraq”. “The organisation has no credibility and legitimacy (…) Support for the PMOI only plays into the hands of Iran's authoritarian regime and undermines the genuinely democratic forces in the country”, stated Ana Gomes MEP. (CG/transl.fl)