Resettling Former Ashraf Residents

The Government of Albania has offered to resettle 210 members of the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK) who are temporarily based at Camp Hurriya near Baghdad, Iraq. The United States deeply appreciates this humanitarian gesture by Albania to provide safe haven for these individuals and its efforts to bring stability and peace to Iraq. The United States welcomes this offer and calls on the MEK leadership to accept this humanitarian offer immediately and without preconditions.

Resettling Former Ashraf Residents

In 2012, per the terms of the December 25, 2011 Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and the Government of Iraq, a majority of the members of the MEK were moved from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya in order to be considered by the U.N. as persons with international protection needs and to be relocated outside Iraq.

The United States believes the permanent relocation of former Ashraf residents outside Iraq is the only sustainable solution and urges those at Camp Hurriya to resume participation in United Nations interviews to ensure that individuals avail themselves of safe and secure relocation opportunities.

Further, the United States urges the MEK leadership to place the highest priority on the safety and security of the former residents of Ashraf through full and unconditional cooperation with the relocation process.

The United States strongly supports the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, UNHCR, and Special Representative of the Secretary General Martin Kobler and remains committed to assisting their efforts in this endeavor.

Following the Feb 9th attack, UNAMI has been working with the Government of Iraq to enhance security measures at Camp Hurriya. The United States has pressed the Government of Iraq to ensure the safety and security of the individuals at Camp Hurriya in accordance with the December 2011 Memorandum of Understanding.