Argentine Senate approves deal with Iran to probe 1994 bombing

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's Senate approved on Thursday an agreement with Iran to set up an international "truth commission" to investigate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

The two governments reached the agreement last month on how to deal with the attack in which Argentine court authorities have accused Iranian officials, including the defense minister, of involvement. Iran has denied any link to the bombing.

Many Jewish groups in Argentina and abroad reject the accord, saying it gives credibility to Iran at a time when the United States is leading efforts to isolate the country over its disputed nuclear program.

Critics also say it is unconstitutional for the executive branch to get involved in judicial matters and that the international commission's findings could hurt Argentina's court case.

Senators voted 39-31 to approve the accord, with most of the political opposition voting against it. The bill will now pass to the lower house, which is also controlled by government allies and could vote as early as next week.

In 2007, Argentine authorities secured Interpol arrest warrants for five Iranians, including Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, and one Lebanese citizen accused of helping plot the AMIA Jewish community center attack. Tehran has refused to turn the men over.

The suspects cannot be convicted unless they are tried in Argentina, where no one else has been held responsible for the bombing. The government presents the agreement with Iran as the best way to make progress on a paralyzed case.

"We know this is difficult if there are hidden motives on the other side of the signing of this memorandum," ruling-party senator Daniel Filmus said during Thursday's debate. "If there's a lack of collaboration on the other side of the memorandum, the Argentine case ... will be strengthened because it will be even clearer who is guilty."

The agreement stipulates that the commission - made up of five foreign legal experts - will issue a report after evaluating Argentina's investigation into the case. Argentine and Iranian judicial officials will then meet in Tehran to interrogate the people sought by Interpol.

Last week, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman denied that Iranian officials would be questioned over the bombing. The foreign minister later said the memorandum would be fully respected.

Argentina's foreign minister said the Iranians sought in the case could refuse to cooperate, just like any other criminal suspects.

Amnesty International in Argentina praised the agreement on Thursday, saying that "although it does not guarantee in any way the success of the investigation, it creates an opportunity to move forward towards justice and reparations for the victims."

President Cristina Fernandez had originally proposed that a trial be carried out in a neutral country. Fernandez has close ties with other Latin American leaders who are on good terms with Tehran, such as Venezuela's ailing Hugo Chavez.

Argentina is home to Latin America's largest Jewish community.

Opposition senator Maria Eugenia Estenssoro likened passage of the agreement to laws that shielded lower-level officials involved in Argentina's bloody 1976-1983 military regime from prosecution and pardoned convicted human rights abusers.

"Once again (Congress) will be voting a law of impunity," Estenssoro said.

(Reporting by Alejandro Lifschitz and Hilary Burke; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog