Matthew attended an event organised by the National Council for Resistance in Iran to celebrate the decision by the US Government to delist the PMOI as a terrorist organisation.
The decision marks the victory of justice and the rule of law over the policy of appeasement which has been pursued for the past two decades towards Iran’s fundamentalist regime. The US State Department’s decision must now be matched with support from Washington for democratic change in Iran.
Speaking to the those assembled at the Greek Orthodox Church in Golders Green, Matthew said: “The West must now end its policy of appeasement towards the mullahs and recognise the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance coalition as the alternative to the fundamentalist regime. The Iranian people have shown time and again they are ready for democratic change.”
The PMOI’s de-listing by the State Department was ordered by the Court of Appeals and follows the organisation’s de-proscription in the UK and Europe. The decision opens the way for democratic countries to accept PMOI members currently relocating from Camp Ashraf in Iraq.