Washington, May 30, 2012 - Welcome all of you. I am Bruce McColm, the president of the Global Initiative for Democracy.  First please turn off your cellphones during the conference.  I'm delighted to have another event like this on the urgent need of the nuclear talks that are going on. 

Also in the past week, if you notice the leaking I guess, from our government about the Iranian plot to assassinate our diplomats in Azerbaijan and of course for those of you who went through 1988, like I did with you, the killings in Syria with the help of the Iranian forces just remind us, again, of the concern we have of the behavior and foreign policy goals of the Iranian regime. 

We have a great panel today and I want to just say that this panel really helps elevate the cause of some of us about Camp Ashraf and the issue of de-listing and all I can say is really the time is really running out on this regime. 

You may not think so.  You may think these are great efforts of strength that they're showing but, in fact, the regime is incorrectly weak.  And it is going to be assumed and probably in an unexpected event that will trigger the change in that government.  It will be the younger generation.  I'm totally convinced of this, that will finally say enough is enough. 

But, please, we have got to keep our eye on the prize, the issue of Camp Ashraf.  A year ago I was in Baghdad at this point and I'll tell you the temperatures are unbelievable at that time.  It was 120 during the day when I was there.  And to hear about these people in Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty living in a cesspool without water, without generators for refrigeration is just sadistic.  That's the point. 

The Iraqi government wants to be sadistic and unfortunately the U.N. person on the ground, Kobler, is assisting in this.  But let's say this the United States Government has made a commitment that once everyone is out of Camp Ashraf, 60 days from then the MeK is de-listed and we must hold them to that point.  And we must hold it -- remember in the Wall Street Journal, the State Department clearly said that they're going to de-list when everyone is out of Camp Ashraf and it's not conditional on the nuclear arms talks so we have to hold them accountable for this. 

In the meantime we also have to make sure that the people at Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty are treated in a humane fashion which they're not being done today and for lots of reasons.  Mainly because Iraqis would like to steal everything that isn't nailed down in Camp Ashraf. 

All I can say we have a great panel today and I hope this indeed raises again consciousness about the issues really affecting all of us.   We really can't go on being held hostage by this regime.  It's apparently their way of, really, modus operandi.  They hold their people hostage. They hold the world community hostage and finally, enough is enough.  We really have to say no to the Iranian regime. and to moderate today is your old friend, an old supporter of the Iranian freedom is Tom Tancredo.    (Applause.) 

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