BUENOS AIRES: Argentine President Cristina Kirchner yesterday announced an agreement with Iran to create an independent commission to investigate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires.
Iran confirmed the deal.
Argentina has long accused Iran of masterminding the deadly attack and has since 2006 sought the extradition of eight Iranians, including current Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Iran has always denied any involvement in the bombing, in which 85 people died, and has refused to arrest the suspects.
Kirchner said the two sides had agreed to create a “truth commission” with five independent judges — none of whom can come from either Iran or Argentina.
She said the agreement may allow Argentine authorities to finally question those for whom Interpol has issued “red notices”, which alert the international community of arrest warrants.
Kirchner called the agreement “historic,” saying “it guarantees the right to due process of law, a fundamental principle of international criminal law.”
The agreement, signed by Argentina’s foreign minister and Iranian authorities in Addis Ababa on the sidelines of an African Union summit, must still be ratified by lawmakers in both countries.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry published pictures of the signing ceremony, media in Tehran reported. The reports said Iran and Argentina agreed to “close that file through mutual cooperation and with the help of independent lawyers” in order to “shed light on this issue.” AFP
