| The European Union has reiterated that the Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) remains a terrorist group. EU Commissioner for external relations, Chris Patten, in reply to a recent question by British MEP Chris Davies whether the MKO presents any threat to the security of the world outside Iran, noted that the EU Common Position 'contains a number of criteria that have to be met and as a result the Mojahedin-e Khalq have been included on the list in May 2002'. In reply to another question on MKO by Portuguese MEP Paulo Casaca, the EU Council referred to its decision of May 2, 2002 to include the MKO in its list of terrorist groups. Meanwhile, a report presented to the EU Council by the government of Netherlands in August 2000 on the situation in Iran writes, "The MKO seems to have virtually no following in Iran. Its stance on Iraq's side in the Iran-Iraq war has severely discredited the organization. Even now, the MKO still maintains its military structure in Iraq, with the Iraqi authorities' knowledge and support. The MKO sees no chance of taking advantage of recent democratic developments in Iran, being itself an anti-democratic organization." |