to Camp Ashraf to investigate the deaths there several weeks ago and was declared unwelcome after its chairman said Iraq should reimburse the United States for at least part of the cost of the invasion and occupation.
The delegation was led by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Republican of California. Rohrabacher was a speechwriter for President Reagan and has long been popular with the rightwing in the United States. But a former congressional staffer told the Iran Times he was not widely respected by senior Republicans or Democrats in the House.
Rohrabacher’s comment about Iraq paying Washington for the invasion drew widespread anger, as one could expect. One Iraqi legislator called the remark “stupid,” and no one was heard to complain that he was being undiplomatic. In fact, some used the uproar to suggest the United States should compensate Iraq for all the chaos and bloodshed its invasion prompted.
The American embassy in Baghdad rushed to put distance between itself and Rohrabacher, saying congressmen speak for themselves and do not represent the government.
Government spokesman Ali Ad-Dabbagh was asked about Rohrabacher’s statements Sunday and responded, “We as a government reject such statements, and we have informed the American embassy that these congressmen are not welcome in Iraq.” Conveniently, Rohrabacher and his delegation had already left Iraq.
The purpose of the visit was to investigate the deaths of 34 members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq when Iraqi troops raided Camp Ashraf April 8. It isn’t clear why the Iraqi government gave them visas when that was their declared purpose for visiting.
When they met with Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki they explained what they wanted to know. Maliki then told them they could not visit Camp Ashraf.
After being denied entry, Rohrabacher said, “We are investigating to see if criminal behavior caused the death of these non-combatants. The killing of unarmed people—a mass killing—is a criminal act and a crime against humanity.”
On the money issue, Rohrabacher said, “Once Iraq becomes a very rich and prosperous country,… we would hope that some consideration be given to repaying the United States some of the mega-dollars that we have spent here in the last eight years.”
Rohrabacher is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He represents Cali-fornia’s 46th Congressional District, which includes parts of Los Angeles County and Orange County.