Iran Focus
London, 3 Aug – In an article on 1 August in New Europe, Violetta Rusheva reports that Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council for Resistance of Iran (NCRI), met with the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, in Paris. The two politicians discussed means to combat terrorism and fundamentalism in the region, as well as the French initiative to revitalize the peace process between Israel and Palestine.
Rajavi met with Abbas while he visited Paris to discuss the two-state solution with French President Francois Hollande and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Abbas expressed his solidarity with the NCRI.
Rajavi supported France’s initiative to assist the resumption of Israel-Palestine peace talks. Further, she accused the Iranian regime of instigating sectarian discord in that region.
The NCRI was founded in Tehran in 1981. Its purpose was to oppose the fundamentalist ruling regime, and to establish a pluralist democracy. Later, the Council moved its headquarters to Paris. The largest group within the Council is the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), also known as the Mujahedin Khalq (MEK).
On July 9, 2016 NRCI organised the annual “Free Iran” rally, which brought together more than 100,000 dissidents and activists from around the world.
