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Argentina's Iran deal opposed

February 9, 2013

Argentine Jewish leaders are opposing a deal with Iran concerning an investigation into the South American country's worst terrorist attack - the 1994 bombing that killed 85 people at a Jewish center.

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Argentina's President Cristina Fernandezgiving a speech. Photo: AFP/ Alejandro Pagnia
Image: AFP/Getty Images

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez sent a bill to Congress Friday asking it to approve a bill to set up a five-member "truth commission" of international legal specialists to look into the 1994 bombing.

The bill also outlines plans for Argentine prosecutors to travel to Tehran to question Iranians accused of links to the attack. Iran denies any involvement.

"What I want to avoid ... is the pain of the (victims') families and the country's shame by finding the path to break the deadlock," Fernandez said. "The memorandum of understanding we have signed is a step toward unblocking a case that has been paralyzed for 19 years," she added.

Jewish leaders Guillermo Borger and Julio Schlosser say they worry that those responsible could be let off the hook.

The deal limits questioning to five suspects named in Interpol alerts, including Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi.

Schlosser says that leaves out other suspects. The men he wants to be questioned include former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati and former Ambassador Hadi Soleimanpour.

The Jewish leaders also see Fernandez' initiative as a diplomatic victory for Iran as it faces international isolation over its nuclear program.

jm/ch (AP, Reuters)