State: Iranian opposition group must relocate if it wants to lose terror designation

The State Department on Monday put Iran's Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) on notice that the Iranian opposition group needs to cooperate with efforts to close the group's main paramilitary base in Iraq if it wants the United States to lift its designation as a terrorist organization.

The MEK is in the process of abandoning Camp Ashraf, its refugee camp near the Iranian border, but none have left over the past six weeks and some 1,200 remain. The Camp Ashraf residents are supposed to move to a transit camp near Baghdad prior to resettlement in third countries, but the MEK has raised concerns that they could be in danger at Camp Hurriya because the current Iraqi government is close to Iran.

The United Nations has promised to monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation during the relocation process and provide round-the-clock human-rights monitoring at Camp Hurriya.

“The United States remains concerned about the situation at Camp Ashraf and urges the residents of Camp Ashraf to resume full cooperation immediately with the Iraqi Government and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI),” department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. “The United States also urges the Iraqi Government to intensify its efforts to fulfill its commitments to provide for the safety, security, and humanitarian treatment of the residents.”

The Obama administration has until Oct. 1 to decide whether to lift the MEK's terrorist designation.

Read the full statement below:

Victoria Nuland

Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

June 18, 2012

The United States remains concerned about the situation at Camp Ashraf and urges the residents of Camp Ashraf to resume full cooperation immediately with the Iraqi Government and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). The United States also urges the Iraqi Government to intensify its efforts to fulfill its commitments to provide for the safety, security, and humanitarian treatment of the residents.

With almost 2,000 former Camp Ashraf residents now relocated to Camp Hurriya, the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf is achievable, but requires continued patience and practical engagement to be realized. Constructive offers must be met with a constructive spirit, and not with refusals or preconditions to engage in dialogue. Recent publicly-declared conditions for cooperation, including calls for the Department to inspect Camp Ashraf as a precondition for further relocations to Camp Hurriya, are an unnecessary distraction.

The United States has made clear that cooperation in the closure of Camp Ashraf, the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s (MEK's) main paramilitary base, is a key factor in determining whether the organization remains invested in its violent past or is committed to leaving that past behind. We fully support the path laid out by the United Nations for the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf along with sustainable solutions for its former residents. The Camp residents and their leadership - both in Iraq and in Paris - should recognize this path as a safe and humane resolution to this situation. Only a peaceful implementation of the Iraqi government’s decision to close the Camp is acceptable, and the Iraqi government bears the responsibility for the security and humane treatment of the individuals at Camp Ashraf.