UN News Centre 15 February 2012 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for the start of the relocation of residents of the settlement in Iraq formerly known as Camp Ashraf, urging the Government and the camp dwellers to continue to cooperate so that the process can be carried out in a peaceful manner. “The Secretary-General reiterates that the Government of Iraq bears the primary responsibility for the security and the welfare of the residents of Camp Ashraf,” said a statement issued by his spokesperson. “At the same time, the residents of Camp Ashraf also bear a responsibility to abide by the laws of Iraq. Any provocation or violence must be avoided and would be … [Read more...]
UN Secretary General’s Statement on Camp Ashraf
February 15, 2012 By
New York, 15 February 2012 - Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Camp Ashraf The Secretary-General continues to closely follow the situation in Camp Ashraf. Over the past few months, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), under the leadership of his Special Representative, Martin Kobler, and in close cooperation with UNHCR, the European Union, the United States and other interested Member States, has been tirelessly working as an impartial facilitator to promote a peaceful resolution of this issue, within the framework of UNAMI’s humanitarian mandate. At the request of the Secretary-General, the Government of Iraq extended its … [Read more...]
U.N. urges Iraq to move Iranian dissidents to new camp
February 15, 2012 By
REUTERS UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Iraq on Wednesday to speed up the transfer of Iranian dissidents at a camp near Baghdad to a temporary facility which the dissident group has compared to a prison. Camp Ashraf, 40 miles from Baghdad, has been home for 25 years to the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran, or PMOI, an Iranian opposition group the United States and Iran officially consider a terrorist organization. The current Iraqi government has never concealed its desire get rid of the camp. Under pressure from the United Nations and European Union, Baghdad extended its deadline to close Ashraf late last year from December 31, 2011 to … [Read more...]
UN complains to Iraq over attack on dissident camp
December 29, 2011 By
REUTERS UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations has complained to Iraq about mortar attacks this week on an Iranian dissident camp near Baghdad and has won a promise that they will be stopped, a U.N. spokesman said on Thursday. Two mortars hit Camp Ashraf on Sunday, just days after Baghdad extended a year-end deadline for the facility to be closed as the United Nations negotiated resettlement of 3,000 residents there. Camp Ashraf, 40 miles (65 km) from Baghdad, has been home for 25 years to the People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, or PMOI, an Iranian opposition group the United States and Iran officially consider a terrorist organization. The U.N. special envoy to … [Read more...]
UN Secretary-General, Welcoming Memorandum of Understanding on Relocation of Camp New Iraq Residents, Warns That Forcible Solution Would Be ‘Unacceptable’
December 27, 2011 By
Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York Secretary-General, Welcoming Memorandum of Understanding on Relocation of Camp New Iraq Residents, Warns That Forcible Solution Would Be ‘Unacceptable’ The following statement was issued on 26 December by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: The Secretary-General welcomes the signing on 25 December of a Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq for the voluntary relocation of the residents of Camp New Iraq (formerly Camp Ashraf). He believes that the agreement lays the foundation for a peaceful and durable solution to the situation, … [Read more...]
Statement from UNHCR Regarding Solutions for the Residents of Camp Ashraf
December 27, 2011 By
Statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, Regarding Solutions for the Residents of Camp New Iraq (Ashraf) GENEVA – I want to express my deep appreciation for the tireless efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler, to reach an agreement with the Government of Iraq regarding a process for the voluntary relocation of the residents of Camp New Iraq (former Camp Ashraf). UNHCR is fully engaged in this initiative and looks forward to the voluntary and peaceful transfer of the asylum seekers to a temporary site so that UNHCR can proceed immediately with the determination of their status in accordance … [Read more...]
Ban welcomes deal on voluntary relocation of Iranian exiles
December 27, 2011 By
UN News Center 27 December 2011 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed an agreement between the United Nations and the Iraqi Government that provides for the voluntary relocation of residents of a camp hosting Iranian exiles, saying the pact lays the foundation for a peaceful and durable solution to the issue. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Sunday stipulates that the Government will relocate the residents of Camp New Iraq, formerly known as Camp Ashraf, to a temporary transit location where the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will start a process of refugee status determination, a necessary first step for their resettlement outside Iraq. In a … [Read more...]
Statement by the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General on Camp Ashraf
December 26, 2011 By
The following statement was issued on 26 December by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: The Secretary-General welcomes the signing on 25 December of a Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq for the voluntary relocation of the residents of Camp New Iraq (formerly Camp Ashraf). He believes that the agreement lays the foundation for a peaceful and durable solution to the situation, respecting both the sovereignty of Iraq and its international humanitarian and human rights obligations. The Memorandum of Understanding is the result of intense negotiations between his Special Representative for Iraq, Martin Kobler, and … [Read more...]
Martin Kobler Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Iraqi Government for Voluntary Relocation of Residents of Camp New Iraq
December 25, 2011 By
UNAMI Press Releases Baghdad, 25 December 2011- The United Nations and the Government of Iraq signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a humanitarian and peaceful resolution of the situation of the residents of camp New Iraq (former Ashraf). The MoU was signed on behalf of the United Nations by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler, and on behalf of the Government of Iraq by the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, Mr. Faleh Fayad. “The United Nations involvement in this issue has been from a purely humanitarian perspective. It has done its utmost as an impartial facilitator to … [Read more...]
UN welcomes start of relocation of Iranian exiles to new camp in Iraq
UN NEWS CENTRE The United Nations has welcomed today's safe relocation of about 400 residents of the Iraqi settlement formerly known as Camp Ashraf to a new transit centre elsewhere in the country, calling it “the first step towards a better future” for the residents, who are Iranian exiles.The 400 people who voluntarily relocated today – the first to do so – now reside in Camp Hurriya, a temporary transit location, according to a press release issued by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in Baghdad.The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will immediately start the process of verification and refugee status determinations, a key step in preparing the submissions of … [Read more...]