We Must Not Let History Repeat Itself
Middle East Times, October 17, 2008
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Valley and Alireza Jafarzadeh
"We fear we will end up with a situation like Srebrenica,"
said an Iranian woman whose brother and a number of family
members reside in Camp Ashraf, an area 40 miles north of
Baghdad, where more than 3,500 exiled members of the main
Iranian opposition group, the People's Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and their families have
resided since 1986.
This young woman and dozens of other Iranian-Americans whose
family members reside in Ashraf have been protesting in
front of the U.N. Headquarters in New York since September.
Concerned with the possible transfer of Camp Ashraf from
U.S. personnel to Iraqi security forces, she said "it is
like putting foxes in charge of the chicken coop."
Iranian influence in Iraq is heavy. Iraq's governmental
institutions are fragile and its security forces are heavily
infiltrated by Iran's mercenaries, whose terrorist acts are
well-documented by the coalition forces. How can one
reasonably feel confident about such an arrangement?
Turning over the protection of these unarmed refugees to the
Iraqi security forces would undoubtedly embolden the mullahs
to take direct action against Camp Ashraf, situated only 30
miles from the Iranian border. Tehran has thus far avoided
cross border attacks and missile strikes, due to the
presence of U.S. forces.
Reports in the Iranian press are already quoting some
elements of the regime seeking the massacre of the PMOI
members residing in Ashraf. Iranian authorities have
repeatedly called for the extradition of all the residents,
ever since the talk of a possible transfer became public
knowledge.
This entire affair constitutes a clear violation of
international law, namely the Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV).
According to Article 27, "Protected Persons are entitled, in
all circumstances, the respect for their persons, their
honor, their family rights, their religious convictions and
their manners and customs…." The Principle of Non-refoulement,
a jus cogens of international law, also clearly forbids the
expulsion of a refugee into an area where the person might
be subjected to persecution.
In an interview on Sept. 4, then Multi-National Forces–Iraq
Commanding General David Petraeus acknowledged the relevant
international laws squarely placing the responsibility of
protecting Camp Ashraf on the U.S. Command and Coalition
Forces and, as a result, the government of the United
States, the signatory to both international laws and the
principal occupying force.
But at the same time, Petraeus said the transfer would take
place after appropriate guarantees had been acquired from
the Iraqi government and the relevant international
organizations.
History teaches us that such guarantees do not hold water.
One case in point is that of the return of refugees from
Zaire to Rwanda and the closing of the border by the
Tanzanian government at the height of the so-called "mass
exodus," resulting in massacres of untold numbers of
innocent people.
Appropriate stability, in this case independence from
Iranian interference in Iraq, has not been achieved. It is
thus incumbent upon the coalition forces, the commanding
general of MNF-I, the United States, the United Nations, and
all members of the coalition to honor international law,
which defines the status of the residents of Ashraf as
"protected persons." All are compelled to prevent a massacre
that would bring ignominy to the very democracies advocating
human rights and the rule of law in that region.
Too many atrocities are too recent in memory to take this
issue lightly. All could have been avoided but for the lack
of urgent preventive measures by those who could have
stopped them. We look back in dismay; if only the relevant
authorities had heeded the pleas of the innocent men, women,
and children, instead of the pundits who were negotiating or
dealing with the perpetrators.
The lives of the 3,500 refugees at Ashraf must not be put in
jeopardy. The United States in particular has a crucial role
to play, and must take all necessary action to prevent the
transfer of Ashraf to the Iraqi security forces.
And in the final analysis, doing so is in U.S. interest. In
August, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, just recently promoted to
commander of MNF-I, reported that 75 percent of the attacks
that kill or injure Americans in Iraq are committed by
Shiite militias trained, armed and funded by Iran. During
his appearance on Capital Hill, General David Petraeus
called Tehran's influence in the region "malign."
According to the U.S. military, since 2003, the MEK has
exposed many of Iran's terrorist conspiracies in Iraq, thus
saving the lives of countless Iraqis and Americans. On June
10, the PMOI revealed that the Iranian regime spends $2.5
billion a year on its meddling in Iraq, and provides
militias with 80 percent of the arms used against coalition
forces.
Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain will
forever be remembered for his historic words "peace for our
time," spoken on 30 Sept. 1938 concerning the Munich
Agreement. History has recorded the horrific consequences of
that misguided attempt to appease a tyrannical regime bent
on expansion. The United States and its allies must send a
clear signal to Iran, and indeed to Iraq, that it will not
allow the ayatollahs to acquire nuclear weapons, dominate
Iraq, or otherwise pursue their aggressive agenda. Ashraf
offers a morally sustainable and internationally lawful
place to draw the line. It is the right thing to do.
Paul E. Vallely (MG, U.S. Army Ret) is the chairman of
Stand Up America USA. Alireza Jafarzadeh is a FOX News Channel Foreign Affairs
Analyst and the author of "The
Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear
Crisis" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).
Jafarzadeh has revealed Iran's terrorist network in Iraq and
its terror training camps since 2003. He first disclosed the
existence of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility and the
Arak heavy water facility in August 2002.
