[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 67 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXCERPTS FROM CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING BY IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY 
                                 CAUCUS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TOM G. TANCREDO

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 18, 2005

  Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, last month, leaders and representatives of 
65 Iraqi political parties and groups unveiled a petition signed by 2.8 
million Iraqis, sharply criticizing neighboring Iran's interference in 
Iraq and warning of the specter of ``Islamic fundamentalism's stealthy 
domination'' of their country. Iraqi signatories included ethnic Arabs, 
Kurds, and Turkmen, from different religious backgrounds, including 
Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, Christians, and people of other faiths.
  The petition offered strong support to the main Iranian opposition 
group, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). The Iraqi 
statement said that the PMOI was fighting a ``legitimate struggle 
against an unjust dictatorship'', adding Iran's meddling was the 
biggest cause of instability in present-day Iraq. They also said the 
PMOI should be recognized in Iraq as ``a legitimate political 
movement'' and the rights of its members, under Iraqi and international 
law, fully respected. A Congressional Briefing was convened by Iran 
Human Rights and Democracy Caucus on May 10, 2005 to discuss these 
developments. I ask that the following excerpts of the witnesses' 
speeches, as follows, be entered into the Record. Furthermore, I ask 
that it be noted that the remarks of those witnesses connected to the 
US military are not to be attributed to the U.S. Department of Defense, 
but taken as personal observations offered by each witness.
  Dr. Abdullah Rasheed Al-Jabouri, Former Governor of the Iraqi 
Province of Diyala: ``I must emphasize that among the 2.8 million 
Iraqis who signed the petition of support, there are many Kurds, 
Turkomans, Shiites and Christians. Last June, 50,000 Iraqis attended a 
major gathering at Ashraf, which I addressed, and in May, 500,000 
Iraqis signed a petition calling for the continued presence of the 
group in Iraq as a legitimate political force. The fact is that by 
virtue of espousing an anti-fundamentalist Islam, the Mojahedin has 
emerged as a major bulwark against the rise of Islamic fundamentalism 
in Iraq, and especially the Iranian meddling. They have developed 
strong ties with the local people and the many tribes in the province. 
The sheer presence of the Mojahedin (MEK) was providing security to the 
region because the people in the province have complete trust in them. 
It is my hope that as we and the U.S. grapple with the problem of 
insurgency in Iraq, the United States would realize that the Mojahedin 
are friend of the Iraqi people and a source stability and calm in Iraq 
and move to remove them from the terrorist list, which would in turn 
lead to the removal of the restrictions placed on them.''
  Lt. Colonel Thomas Cantwell: ``When I moved up into northern Diyala 
province [in Iraq], the relationship with the Mojahedin with the local 
community helped me in that regard, I think because most of the local 
sheiks, understanding as part of the Sunni triangle, weren't exactly 
trusting of coalition forces but they seemed to have some level of 
trust with the Mojahedin, and so what I sought to get them to come in 
to get to speak to them and to understand what their issues were, was 
their security issues, their infrastructure repair issues, they lack of 
support issues, and to try and help them understand what our operations 
were doing and to ensure that they understood why we were under taking 
our operations. It certainly helped to have that friendly relationship 
that they had with the Mojahedin because it helped me to break the ice 
with the local sheiks which I think was important. My mission had 
several different aspects to it. On the one hand, we had a Geneva 
Convention responsibility to safeguard the Mojahedin, and this was a 
real possibility since there was evidence at the camp that the camp had 
been previously attacked by the Iranian government.''
  Captain Vivian Gembara: ``As a soldier and a lawyer I believe it's 
time to change their (MEK) classification as a terrorist organization. 
Two years ago we could say clearly or argue that it was in all of our 
best interest to maintain this label, even despite Special Forces 
recommendations out of natural weariness. Now two years have passed and 
I think it's crucial that we acknowledge that the situation has 
changed, and we need to reassess. The potential benefits of working 
together definitely overshadow previous concerns or hesitations that we 
had. Next of course is identifying your allies, and over two years have 
passed now since I met with the MEK but my question is still the same 
and hasn't changed at all. It's basically why we can't take maximum use 
of the assets and potentials of this ally here? ''
  Dr. Kenneth Katzman: ``The broader regional effects of the pro-
Iranian tilt of the new Iraqi government are hard to discern. It is 
likely that the new Iraqi government might support Iran against 
international criticism of Iran's growing nuclear program. Iraq might 
move closer to Iranian positions on the Arab-Israeli peace process. It 
is also likely that the Shiite-dominated new government of Iraq will 
support other Shiite movements in the region, such as in Bahrain, 
Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Some commentators say Iraq's new leaders are 
likely to remain wary of Iran exercising substantial influence in Iraq. 
They note that most Iraqi Shiites generally stayed loyal to the Sunni-
dominated Iraqi regime during the Iran-Iraq war. Most Iraqi Shiites 
appear not to want a cleric-run Islamic regime.''

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