ABC3, Baghdad, 28 Dec 2011 – The head of an Iranian exile group holed up at a
camp in Iraq says the first of the camp’s residents are ready to
move to a new location picked by the Iraqi government.
The announcement Wednesday by Maryam Rajavi averts what could
have been a bloody showdown with Iraqi authorities if the group had
refused to move.
The Iraqi government vowed to close Camp Ashraf, home to about
3,400 Iranian exiles, by the end of this year. The camp’s residents
favor the overthrow of the Iranian government.
The U.N. announced Monday a plan to move them to a new location
in Baghdad, but until Wednesday, the camp’s residents had not said
whether they would go.
Rajavi said 400 residents are ready to move first as a sign of goodwill.