Israel shocked over Argentina's agreement to 'truth commission' over AMIA bombing
Israel is said to be shocked by the Argentine government's decision to agree to a joint '
truth commission' with Iran to
identify cover up for those behind the July 18, 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in which 85 Argentinians - mostly Jews - were murdered.
Israel is shocked by the signing of an agreement
between Iran and Argentina Sunday to establish a truth commission in a
bid to resolve the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community
center that Argentine courts accuse Iran of sponsoring. “We warned the
Argentinians only a short while ago not to fall into the trap that the
Iranians will set up for them,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal
Palmor. “We are stunned by this news item and we will want to receive
from the Argentine government a complete picture as to what was agreed
upon because this entire affair affects Israel directly.”
Israel heard about the launching of the dialogue between Argentina and
Iran in October from reports in the media. Despite repeated requests
from Jerusalem, the Argentine government refused to update Israel on the
progress of the talks. In meetings that have been held over the past
few weeks between Argentina’s foreign minister, Hector Timerman (who is
Jewish), and representatives of the country’s Jewish community, he
agreed to convey only a few general details about the negotiations.
Before the first round of talks between Iran and Argentina, senior
officials of Israel’s foreign ministry traveled to Buenos Aires and
delivered a sternly worded message to the effect that Israel would not
accept the signing of any agreement that would be at the expense of the
victims. The Israeli diplomats were adamant in their demand that
Argentina must insist upon the extradition of the Iranian suspects and
upon the payment of compensation to the families of the victims.
Read the whole thing. This is a job for the Mossad....
Labels: Ahmad Vahidi, AMIA truck bombing, Argentina, Iran
Bolivia expels Vahidi
Hosting Jew-hating murderers is fine in Evo Morales' Bolivia, but if they tick off your neighbors is a different story. And so, Bolivia has expelled Iran's Defense Minister
Ahmad Vahidi (pictured), who has been indicted by an international tribunal for being a part of the group that carried out two bombings at the Israeli embassy and at the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in the 1990's. Bolivia claims that it didn't know what Vahidi has been accused of doing (bull dung) and Argentina, which has recently recognized a 'Palestinian' reichlet gets to mollify its Jewish community, which, after all, still votes in elections.
In the letter Bolivia apologized for the invitation, which it called "a grave incident", and assured Argentina that Vahidi would not be in the country for long.
"As a result of this lamentable situation ... the government of Bolivia has taken the corresponding provisions to see to it that Ahmad Vahidi immediately leaves Bolivian territory," said the letter, which was released in Buenos Aires by the Argentine government.
Sources in Bolivia's government, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Vahidi left Bolivia late on Tuesday.
Vahidi is among the senior Iranian officials accused by Argentine prosecutors of being behind the attack that leveled the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires. Iran denies any links to the bombing.
"Unfortunately (the Bolivian Defense Ministry) did not know about the background of the case," the letter said. Nor did the ministry coordinate the invitation with the rest of Bolivia's government, it said.
Vahidi enjoys diplomatic immunity, which complicates efforts to bring him to trial although in 2007 Interpol notified law enforcement bodies in other countries of an Argentine arrest warrant against him.
Bolivia's leftist president, Evo Morales, has close ties with Argentine leader Cristina Fernandez, who last year proposed that a third country be nominated by Tehran to host the trial of those accused of being involved in the bombing.
Iran rejected the idea, saying none of its citizens were involved.
Iran's state news agency IRNA said Vahidi had visited Mauritania and held talks with the African state's president before traveling to Bolivia.
Guillermo Borges, the AMIA's current president, called Vahidi's visit to Bolivia "a provocation."
The letter said that Bolivia hopes the incident will not affect the "excellent" diplomatic relationship between it and Argentina.
Everyone's happy. What could go wrong?
Labels: Ahmad Vahidi, AMIA truck bombing, Argentina, Bolivia, Buenos Aires, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Evo Morales, Iran
