France’s green light to MKO denounced

A senior parliamentarian blasted the French government for giving the green light to the activities of the anti-Iran Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization terror group in its capital, saying the approval throws into question French calls for a worldwide fight against terrorism.

"The French governments have been portraying their country as the cradle of freedom, but the constant presence of terrorists in Paris and their meetings have actually turned the country into the center of terrorism in Europe," Hossein Naqavi Hosseini added.

The spokesman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission was speaking to ICANA on Monday, two days after a MKO gathering in Paris on Saturday called for regime change in Iran.   

In attendance were more than a dozen current and former officials from EU nations, including former French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner.

There were also former Saudi and US officials, including former Saudi spy chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal, who is also a former Saudi ambassador to the US, former US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, former house speaker, Newt Gingrich, former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

MKO is designated a terrorist organization by Iran and Iraq and, it was also considered as such by the US and EU until 2012 and 2009, respectively. The notorious group is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials over the past four decades and is  estimated to have killed over 12,000 people.

It also fought against Iran in the Iraq-imposed war (1980-88) and helped former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, in his brutal crackdown on his opponents.

  Big Question

Hosseini said the attendance of officials from France and other European countries in the meeting puts a big question mark over the so-called war of the green continent against terrorism.

"The time for double standards on terrorism and human rights has come to an end," he said.

The meeting drew reactions from Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who said the MKO presence in France amounts to "a moot point" in relations between Tehran and Paris.

Speaking to IRIB News on Friday before wrapping up his two-day visit to the French capital, Zarif said MKO's terrorist nature is not hidden to anybody, adding that he had raised the issue in his talks with French officials.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi announced on Sunday Iran has lodged an official complaint to France over its "serious mistake" of allowing MKO to hold the meeting in Paris.