U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
February 18, 2012
2012/253
STATEMENT BY VICTORIA NULAND, SPOKESPERSON
Update on Camp Ashraf
The United States welcomes the peaceful departure of the first 397 residents from Camp Ashraf and joins the United Nations in welcoming their safe arrival at Camp Hurriya.
The United States commends the Iraqi government for its facilitation of a secure and peaceful relocation process and its willingness to invest significant resources in that regard. The United States also commends the decision by the Ashraf residents to begin to relocate to Hurriya, where the United Nations will begin a process aimed at facilitating their eventual departure from Iraq. The United States encourages Ashraf residents to continue their cooperation with the Iraqi authorities and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) as they work to complete the relocation to Hurriya. Patience and willingness to resolve issues related to the relocation will be important as the process moves ahead. The United States will continue to coordinate with UNAMI and the Government of Iraq to follow the relocation process. In addition to around-the-clock UN human rights monitoring, the U.S. will visit the temporary transit facility at Hurriya regularly and frequently.
The United States acknowledges and echoes the call of the United Nations for the international community to expeditiously assist the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as its work at Hurriya begins, to ensure that those recognized as refugees by UNHCR under its mandate can be safely relocated out of Iraq as quickly as possible.
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