As a follow-up on my previous post, I am posting excerpts of some articles on the allegations of Iranian involvement in the bombing of Jewish targets in Argentina, for the sake of historical accuracy. I have posted much more on the GUlf2000 Project site at Columbia University, however since most of these articles are from pre-1995, they're not as widely available on the internet as they should be.
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Argentines Concede Missteps on Bombing
by Calvin Sims
New York Times, Aug 25, 1994. pg. A.8
Despite announcements two weeks ago that Argentina had evidence linking Iranian diplomats to the bombing of a Jewish community center here on July 18, the Government is still far from knowing who carried out the attack and may never resolve the case, Argentine officials say. The bombing killed 100 people and wounded scores of others.
The officials, who are familiar with the Government's investigation of the bombing and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said in recent interviews that the case against the Iranian diplomats was very thin, based mainly on circumstantial evidence provided by an Iranian dissident whose credibility was uncertain.
There is a growing sentiment in the administration of President Carlos Saul Menem that the Government has mishandled the case by publicly endorsing such flimsy evidence and threatening to sever diplomatic ties with Iran and expel its Ambassador based solely on unsubstantiated information, the officials said.
"We have looked pretty silly and naive in recent weeks," a senior Government official said. "It's awful to raise expectations and make people believe things that are later revealed as unproven. That destroys credibility."
While the World Watched
"I was astonished by the way bright, learned officials have acted throughout this whole affair," the official said. "They acted as if they didn't realize the world was watching us and judging us to see how we would handle this."
The Government's chief investigator in the bombing, Judge Juan Jose Galeano, has dropped out of the spotlight and has refused requests for interviews [Cyrus Notes: the Judge was later found guilty of bribing witnesses] after issuing the arrest warrant for four Iranian diplomats whom the dissident identified as being involved in other terrorist activities, including the bombing of the Israeli Embassy here in 1992.
On Tuesday night, the Government said there was not enough evidence to pursue the case. "There is not enough proof," Attorney General Angel Aguero Iturbe said, and suggested that the case be sent back to Judge Galeano for further investigation.
Iran has said that none of the four were in Argentina at the time of the bombing, an assertion Argentina has not disputed. Furthermore, Iranian officials have accused the United States and Israel, whose intelligence agencies helped Argentina in its investigation, of pressing the Menem Government to link the bombing to Iran.
Asked if the Government had acted before all the facts were in, Foreign Minister Guido di Tella said in an interview that he believed that Judge Galeano had acted responsibly in issuing the warrant for the arrest of the Iranians based on the information that was available at the time.
"There was a tremendous public pressure to find the culprits and a lot of overenthusiasm that the first investigations were leading somewhere," Mr. di Tella said. "Now we are more aware that that was just one lead and that there will no doubt be other leads to pursue in the future."
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Houston Chronicle, Aug 13, 1994. pg. 21
The government and the judiciary Friday passed the buck to each other as even Argentina's top Jewish leader said he now doubted the testimony of Manouchehr Motamar.
Motamar's identity and credentials are already disputed by Iran and by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). His testimony, given in Venezuela after the July 18 blast, is the basis for international warrants issued this week for the arrest of four Iranian officials.
Iran Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati said in a letter handed to the Argentine envoy that the United States and Israel had publicly tried to prejudice the investigation by Judge Juan Jose Galeano.
""In the space of less than a month, an ordinary shopkeeper has introduced himself as a deputy culture minister, a senior diplomat, a special secretary to the minister of Islamic guidance,'' Velayati wrote.
Ecuador said Friday that Motamar had arrived in the capital Quito on July 25 -- a week after the attack and the day after he testified to Galeano in Venezuela -- and had obtained a visa allowing him to work in Ecuador for up to two years.
""Objectively, you have to wonder what the truth is,'' Ruben Beraja, head of Argentina's main Jewish organization DAIA, said after news of Motamar's appearance in Quito.
The Argentine government, reacting Friday to Motamar's surprise move to Ecuador from Venezuela, said it saw no need for any further contact with him.
The Supreme Court in turn decided, after debating the case two consecutive days, that it needed more information from the foreign ministry about the four Iranians.
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