|
During his visit to the violence-stricken Iraq, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs visited the temporary residence of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK, a.k.a. MKO and PMOI) members in Iraq. |
According to Habilian Association, the US Embassy in Baghdad said in a press release that Brett McGurk, along with Gyorgy Busztin, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and officials from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) met with senior representatives of the MKO as well as survivors of the attack on Camp Ashraf.
Reiterating the importance the US Government places on the safety and security of Camp Liberty, McGurk stressed “the urgency of relocating the residents of Camp Hurriya to third countries as soon as possible and noted the full-time efforts of Jonathan Winer, Senior Advisor for MeK Resettlement, towards that objective.”
“Given the special challenges involved in addressing these issues, DAS McGurk expressed deep appreciation to UNAMI and UNHCR for their work and ensured ongoing U.S. Government support of their efforts,” reads the statement.
Earlier in December 2013, UNHCR said that since 2011, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) have been “engaged in an effort to find relocation opportunities outside Iraq” for some 3,200 members of MKO now residing temporarily inside Camp Liberty, a former US military base near Baghdad International Airport.
“So far, the international community has managed to secure the relocation to third countries of 311 residents, clearly demonstrating that more relocation places are urgently needed,” UNHCR added.