Celebration of Nowrouz, the Iranian New Year, in the French National Assembly With Participation of Parliamentarians From Various Political Groups- Maryam Rajavi - Special Guest of the Celebrations

PARIS, April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

On Tuesday April 2, a celebration on the occasion of Iranian New Year, Nowrouz, was held in the French National Assembly's Questure Hall.

Members of Parliament representing various parliamentary groups participated in this celebration initiated by the French Parliamentary Committee for a Democratic Iran (CPID).  Mrs Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, was the special guest of this event that was chaired by Mr Dominique Lefebvre, the President of French Parliamentary Committee for a Democratic Iran.

French parliamentarians supported the Iranian people's resistance for the establishment of human rights and democracy in Iran and expressed the hope that the Iranian New Year would be the year of great change in Iran, the end of religious dictatorship and the establishment of democracy and freedom for the great people of Iran.

Mrs Rajavi said: "Mullahs in Iran are today mired in incurable crises that will lead to their overthrow: infighting of the main powers within the ruling circle, economic collapse of the country, the prospect of the overthrow of the Bashar Assad dictatorship, a nuclear program impasse and particularly the deep and increasingly explosive dissatisfaction of the people.  That is why the mullahs intend to destroy the organized resistance, specifically the residents of Camp Liberty, at all costs, and therefore guaranteeing their protection is not only an urgent humanitarian need but a political necessity."

Mrs Rajavi emphasized 'there is no doubt for us that the totality of the regime will come out of the next June presidential election weaker and more paralyzed' and she hoped 'the mullahs' regime, just like the winter, will give way to the Iranian people's spring with a secular and pluralistic republic, gender equality, the abolition of death penalty and a non-nuclear Iran'.

The speakers of this event pointed out that the desired option for the residents of Liberty is to transfer all of the residents to the US or a European country, even on a temporary basis, where they can be resettled to third countries. The next option is to immediately transfer all of the residents to Ashraf where their Refugee Determination Process could be finalized.  Keeping a large number of residents in Liberty under any pretext is dangerous and unacceptable.

Members of Parliament called for the immediate return of protective T-walls for the trailers, the immediate transfer of protective vests and helmets of the residents and medical supplies from Camp Ashraf to Liberty.  They demanded that Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the United Nations, who has put the residents' lives at risk, is dismissed and full responsibility of Camp Ashraf and Liberty be given to the UNHCR.

André Chassaigne, co-president of  CPID and Chair of Left- Democrat and Republic Group in the French National Assembly, Michel Terrot, another co- president of CPID, Pascal Deguilhem, Germinal Peiro, Guy Chambefort, William Dumas, Jean Gellier, and Michel Liebgott were among scores of parliamentarians who took part in the event. Senator Alain Néri co-president of French Committee for a Democratic Iran (CFID) represented this committee in the celebration.  

In addition, Jean-Pierre Brard, and François Colcombet former members of the National Assembly, Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime Ministre of Alegria, Michel Joli representing France-Liberté Fondation of Danielle Mitterrand, Bishop Jacques Gaillot, Mr. Yves-Jean Gallas co-President of Movement for Peace, Gilles Paruelle, former president of Lawyers' Guild of Val d'Oise, Pierre Bercis, president of New Human Rights Association were among other participants of the event.

This was the first such celebration of Nowrouz in the National Assembly with the presence of the Iranian resistance.

French Parliamentary Committee for a Democratic Iran 

April 3, 2013