Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 97: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the status of Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty in Iraq; the steps being taken at UN and EU level to protect the safety of Iranian refugees at both camps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33656/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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In December 2011 the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government of Iraq agreed a process for the closure of Camp Ashraf in Iraq, whose terms were accepted by the camp residents. This process began in February, under the supervision of the UNHCR and the UN Special Representative Martin Kobler. Of the 3,400 residents in Camp Ashraf, about 2,000 have now transferred to Camp Hurriya near Baghdad. This is designated as a Temporary Transit Location from which the residents will move on to permanent accommodation in other countries, which both the residents and the Iraqi authorities now agree is the desired solution. The transfer process to Camp Hurriya is a difficult one, with great distrust and suspicion between the two sides.

In Camp Hurriya, the UNHCR is processing the individual residents and determining where best to relocate them. The UNHCR is encouraging countries to make places available for those residents who do not already have an entitlement to resettlement elsewhere.

The protection and human rights of the residents during this process are concerns for Ireland, its EU partners and the wider international community. The EU has enunciated a series of essential principles in relation to Camp Ashraf and its residents:

1. Iraq is once again a fully sovereign state, no longer under the tutelage of either the US or the UN. It has sovereignty over the camps, and is within its rights in seeking to move Camp Ashraf away from the Iranian border.

2. Equally, however, this means that the Government of Iraq is responsible for the safety and humane treatment of the residents.

3. There must be no question of forced return of any residents to Iran – and the Iraqi authorities have accepted this.

4. The process under the UNHCR is the agreed – and only – means of resolving the situation of Camp Ashraf, and should be adhered to.

In relation to the living conditions in Camp Hurriya, I call on the Iraqi authorities to allow all reasonable provision for the safety and comfort of the residents, including the transfer of personal property from Camp Ashraf. In doing so, we recognize that it is the judgement of the UNHCR that Camp Hurriya is of an acceptable standard to accommodate refugees. The precise status of this camp is a matter for the UNHCR and the Iraqi authorities.