MEK DEFECTORS TO BE RESETTLED IN TURKEY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000405

SIPDIS
NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2019
TAGS: PHUM PREL KREF TU IR IZ
SUBJECT: MEK DEFECTORS TO BE RESETTLED IN TURKEY

REF: A. BAGHDAD 287

B. 08 ANKARA 1270

Classified By: PolMil MinCouns Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).


1. (S/NF) Summary: According to the GOI's lead in
Mujahedin e-Khalq (MEK) resettlement issues, Minister of
Human Rights Wijdan Salim, Iranian officials, contrary to
recent public statements (ref A),do not want to repatriate
MEK defectors to Iran. Instead, the Iranian Embassy will
issue passports to all defectors and buy them tickets to
Istanbul, where they will receive further assistance from an
NGO. One of the two current defectors has already received
Iranian passports and is planning to depart for Turkey soon.
ICRC officials had told us on February 5 that they believed
Iran would repatriate former MEK members, but noted there
have not been any repatriations since April 2008. End
Summary.

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STATUS OF TWO MEK DEFECTORS
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2. (S) As a part of the GOI committee handling Mujahedin
e-Khalq (MEK) issues, Minister of Human Rights Wijdan Salim
coordinates with international organizations and third
countries to resettle defectors. There are currently two
defectors, Abbas Badfar and Mekki Rafii, who until February 5
were being housed by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) at the
Muthanna M2 facility and cared for by the Ministry of Human
Rights (MoHR). The MoHR has provided the defectors with
money, phones, and clothes, and MoHR teams visit the
defectors about once a week.


3. (S) Salim told PolOff on February 8 that both defectors
moved to the Rasheed Hotel in the International Zone on
February 5 and are now in the custody of National Security
Advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie; they were previously under control
of the MoD. (Note: Salim noted that there have been many
similar examples of "meddling" by Rubaie in other
ministries' affairs. She commented that Acting Minister of
Justice Safa al-Safi refuses to work with Rubaie because of
Rubaie's intrusion into Ministry of Justice affairs. End
Note.) MOHR teams visited the defectors at the Rasheed on
February 6. On February 8 and 16, EmbOffs visited the
defectors at the Rasheed and confirmed that they are being
well treated by the GOI. Before the defectors leave Iraq,
the GOI will take them to see the holy sites in Najaf and
Karbala.

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REPATRIATION IN IRAN?
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4. (S/NF) Salim told PolOff on February 4 that she had met
with the Iranian Ambassador and his advisors several times
over the past two weeks to discuss passport issuance for and
repatriation of MEK defectors. On several occasions, Iranian
officials had implied to Salim that Iran does not want to
repatriate any MEK defectors to Iran. Instead, Iran will
instead issue passports to the defectors and buy them tickets
to Istanbul where there is an NGO that will help them
resettle in Turkey or other European countries. Salim
believes that Iran views the repatriation to Iran of 3,400
MEK defectors as a threat to the government's stability. The
private Iranian position contradicts Tehran's public
statements; Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Qomi said at a January
27 meeting that Iran was willing to repatriate MEK defectors.
(ref A)


5. (C) On January 27, the Iranian Embassy had a first
meeting with Mekki, the second defector. Iranian Embassy
officials met Mekki again on February 11 and will reportedly
issue him a passport soon. They have met with Abbas twice
Qissue him a passport soon. They have met with Abbas twice
and gave Salim his passport during the January 27 meeting.
Iranian officials will meet with Abbas again in the coming
days and will give him a ticket to Istanbul. Salim is
keeping the passport until Abbas leaves Iraq for Turkey and
will accompany Abbas to the airport when he departs.


6. (C) According to Salim, Mekki no longer wants to return
to Iran because he is afraid of persecution by the
government. The ICRC met with him on January 21 and said
that while it cannot guarantee his safety in Iran, it does
not believe he will face any problems upon return. Mekki
told MoHR representatives that he is thinking of going to a
third country. ICRC representatives told PolOffs on February
5 that Mekki had not yet decided where to go and was still

BAGHDAD 00000405 002 OF 002


considering repatriation to Iran. ICRC said it had written a
letter to the Iranian Embassy requesting support for
repatriation, but had not received a reply.

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COMMENT
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7. (S/NF) If Salim's report of Iranian intentions to not
resettle MEK defectors is correct, it would be harder to find
places for MEK defectors to resettle. Given that the arrival
in Turkey in 2008 of 45 former MEK members outraged the
Turkish government (ref B),it is unclear how the GOI plans
to handle any new GOT fallout as a result of MEK defectors
traveling to Turkey.
BUTENIS