NCRI – The United Nation’s ‘untrustworthy’ envoy to Iraq Martin Kobler is responsible for the deadly rocket attack on Camp Liberty and must be sacked, a British MP has demanded.
In a meeting at the British Houses of Parliament to mark the Iranian New Year on March 26, Mr Binley said: “After three bloodbaths, against defenceless residents in Ashraf and later Camp Liberty, the protection of the population of liberty cannot be minimised and ignored.
Brian Binley also compared the camp to a shanty town and branded it ‘worse than Guantanamo’.
“The residents of Ashraf were forcibly sent to Liberty by the untrustworthy envoy Martin Kobler. A place which according to General Jones, President Obama’s former national security adviser is worse than Guantanamo, and is better compared to a shanty town.”
Liberty was intended to be a temporary transit camp and now that the refugee determination process of 2,000 residents had been completed, they should be immediately transferred by the US, Mr Binley said.
He added: “The residents were not permitted to take their moveable property or indeed to sell them. Nor were the resident’s representatives, American dignitaries, generals and officers, allowed to visit liberty. How badly they were let down!
“The UN working group on arbitrary detention on two occasions in 2012 described Liberty as a prison. How ironical, that Liberty should be closed.
“Despite the resident’s protests, 17,500 T-walls which protected the tenants during the US forces station at the camp were swiftly and intentionally removed by the Iraqi government to inflict more casualties in future planned attacks.
“The residents are still deprived of the vests and helmets that protect them from shrapnel, which they had in Ashraf, and that was based on official and written agreement with US forces.
“And contrary to the Memorandum of understanding, signed by Martin Kobler, the residents are prohibited from any construction, gardening, and planting trees higher than 1.5 metres.
“All of that was agreed to, by the United Nations representative, agreed to on paper, but failed to be acted upon in reality. And this is our United Nations, what a disgrace!”
The contaminated environment and unsanitary conditions in Liberty was also causing disease and had lead to five deaths which could easily have been avoided, he said.
Then eight residents were killed and 100 wounded, in a missile attack carried out by the Iraqis on February 9, Mr Binley told the meeting.
He added: “There is a widespread belief based on bitter and bloody experience, that Martin Kobler, allowed those crimes to take place, and I consequently say today, he should be immediately replaced before the reputation of the United Nations is even further damaged.”
Mr Binley called on the US government to immediately relocate the residents either back to the US – and failing that they should be transferred back to the safety of Ashraf, he said.
He concluded: “Let me finish by once again telling our friends in camp Ashraf and liberty, that we salute them and we recognise their courage.
“So let it be known, that we are looking forward to the demise of the regime in Iraq, and we are looking forwarding to the United Nations acting as it should be acting.
“Getting rid of Martin Kobler and making sure that those brave residents in Ashraf and liberty are treated in the manner we would want to see them treated.”