Saturday, March 10, 2012

As Camp Ashraf Considered by Distracted Council, of Iraq Patrols, Jordan?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 6, updated March 7 -- Camp Ashraf in Iraq was one of five topics in the Security Council on Tuesday, nearly entirely overshadowed by the P5 on Syria. But Inner City Press asked Iraq's Permanent Representative, and a UN expert, about the Camp's stand off.

The UN expert said that the Campers' move to Baghdad stopped after the initial transfer of 397, because of the campers' complaints. Among these are not only the unsuitability of accommodation -- the UN expert said were throwing rubble around -- but more fundamentally, whether Iraqi security forces would patrol the camp.

Iraq's Permanent Representative told Inner City Press this is a matter of the country's sovereignty. Inner City Press asked about moves by the Campers' to shift to Jordan. Fine, he said, as long as they leave.

And so it can be said that the attempt solution, of using a vacated US base in Baghdad, is at least for now not working. What's next? Watch this site.

Update of March 7: Inner City Press is informed that at six am Iraq time March 8 the next group is set to move, reluctantly, the UN says some filed off their fingerprints...