The United Nations and the Iraqi government have signed a memorandum of understanding to temporarily relocate thousands of Iranian exiles, the U.N. announced on its website Monday.
Under the U.N. agreement, Iraq will relocate the exiles from New Camp Iraq, formerly known as Camp Ashraf -- the home of the opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK -- to a temporary camp. There, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees will begin efforts to resettle the group outside of the country, the U.N. statement said.
The Iraqi government has said it will close Camp Ashraf by December 31, and without a U.N. agreement there were no clear assurances the exiles would be protected against attacks by Iraqi forces, or reprisals from neighboring Iran.
MEK has been on the U.S. terrorism list since 1997 because of the killing of six Americans in Iran in the 1970s, and an attempted attack against the Iranian mission to the United Nations in 1992.
The announcement came the same day that exiles -- members of the Iranian opposition group considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Iran -- claimed in statement that rockets struck their camp in northeastern Iraq.
Under the U.N. agreement, Iraq will relocate the exiles from New Camp Iraq, formerly known as Camp Ashraf -- the home of the opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK -- to a temporary camp. There, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees will begin efforts to resettle the group outside of the country, the U.N. statement said.
The Iraqi government has said it will close Camp Ashraf by December 31, and without a U.N. agreement there were no clear assurances the exiles would be protected against attacks by Iraqi forces, or reprisals from neighboring Iran.
MEK has been on the U.S. terrorism list since 1997 because of the killing of six Americans in Iran in the 1970s, and an attempted attack against the Iranian mission to the United Nations in 1992.
The announcement came the same day that exiles -- members of the Iranian opposition group considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Iran -- claimed in statement that rockets struck their camp in northeastern Iraq.
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