Investigations into terror attacks will continue, Argentine minister assures Israeli official

01 April 2011

Argentina has pledged to continue investigations into the bombings of Israel Embassy and the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires in the 1990s. In a meeting with Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the country’s Foreign Minister Hector Timerman expressed his "deep commitment to the investigation.” Argentina, Israel and the US have blamed Iran for the attacks. Last week, a press report alleged that Argentina had offered to halt investigations if trade relations improved with Iran. The Argentine weekly ‘Perfil’ quoted a leaked Iranian diplomatic cable that apparently detailed the offer. "Argentina is no longer interested in solving those two attacks, but in exchange prefers improving its economic relations with Iran," the paper quoted from the document.

Iran has denied involvement in the terrorist attacks, in which a total of 114 people, mostly Jews, were killed in 1992 and 1994. Hundreds of people were wounded. Only a few weeks ago, Timerman attended the memorial for the Embassy Bombing where he pledged that "there is no doubt that the Argentine government, being this one or any other government that comes along, will always maintain the highest level of care towards reaching justice” in these two cases.

Sharansky said a planned visit by Timerman – who is Jewish - to Israel was still on after his meeting with the Argentine foreign minister in Buenos Aires. Argentina’s Foreign Ministry has so far made no comment on the alleged offer to Iran, but has not denied the report either.

WJC and Fighting Terrorism