Debate on Ashraf with EU High Representative on Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton
Brussels -1 Feb 2012

MEP Struan Stevenson: You’ll not be surprised I want to raise the question of Camp Ashraf. As you know, last December, Martin Kobler, the Special UNAMI High Representative in Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Iraqi government without first getting the approval of the residents of Camp Ashraf, which he had pledged to get in advance, nor was he acting in accordance with the wishes of the UN Secretary General who said the Ashraf people must approve the MoU. Now, yesterday he issued a press release saying that Camp Liberty is ready for the displacement of the 3,300 people from Ashraf when in fact there is no freedom of movement, they will not be allowed to take their personal possessions, and they will be surrounded by thousands of military and police. You know, this is not a refugee camp. This is fundamentally a prison. Please can you insist that the Iraqi government upholds their obligations and don’t allow them to get away with this kind of unorthodox treatment.  Thank you.

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton: Well, as you know I have raised these issues with the Iraqis from the beginning. You and I have been in many dialogues about this, and rightly so it’s a very worrying situation. I do know that Martin Kobler has been in touch with the residents of Camp Ashraf throughout this process. There is a lot of information that is quite hard to unpick exactly what’s happening and there are different kinds of interests at work in this whole process. He will be here tomorrow and I know he is meeting with you because he knows not only how important it is to you but how important it is members of this house. Then we’ll be meeting with him tomorrow to make sure those messages get through.

MEP Toni Clam: Madam Ashton, I would like to return to the question of my colleague Stevenson because I think the UN mediation negotiated by Mr. Kobler has not provided sufficient guarantees for the safety and freedom of choice for more than 3,000 people there which is contrary to the position taken by the European Parliament several years ago already because Iraq authorities have clearly violated the relocation program, launching missile attacks against the camp. And, I think the role of your representative has been lately rather marginalized because he had been denied visa to Iraq. So, my question is if you said that their relocation to Camp Liberty is way to the future, I think is a very ominous way and I urgently call upon you to use your authority to speak more vocally and more decisively to solve this humanitarian crisis which is still pending because these are people who are consistently advocated for a truly democratic, secular a nuclear-free Iran, what we need. Thank you.

MEP Peter ŠŤASTNÝ: Iranian refugees from Ashraf will move to a new Camp Liberty which Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly compared to a prison camp. Green light was issued by UN mission in Iraq. This approval was granted without consent of Ashraf residents despite promise by UN envoy Ambassador Martin Kobler to do so. EU should take a lot more active role with Mrs. Ashton’s direct involvement especially after being rejected by Iraqi government from taking active part in the negotiations. Therefore, we need to stand shoulder by shoulder with our US friends in exerting pressure on Iraq and the UN for quick and human resolution. By the way, people like refugees in Ashraf are our best hope for a democratic and nuclear-free Iran.

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton: Colleagues who of course mentioned the fact that Camp Ashraf has an Iranian population and I’ve already mentioned a couple of times in our questionnaire the importance that we attached in trying to find a satisfactory resolution for the people of Camp Ashraf. My concern is straight forward, it’s try to find a way to keep them completely safe and give them a future. There are members of the UN in discussion with member states, there are issues of citizenship, there the members of the High Commission for Refugees who are engaged with this and Martin Kobler who as I have indicated already will be here tomorrow. We work closely with the US, we work closely with the international community and we keep on the agenda in our discussions with Iraq. But it is important that we move forward, that the people find a future, not that we simply keep them there because we don’t have a plan. It does seem to be not a perfect plan, a compromised solution of course, but one in which if we do it properly I believe there is the potential for future for these people that will keep them safe which as I’ve said is our final objective.