Reuters: Interpol on Wednesday issued wanted notices for six Iranians in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Argentina in which 85 people were killed. By Tom Pfeiffer
MARRAKESH, Morocco, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Interpol on Wednesday issued wanted notices for six Iranians in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Argentina in which 85 people were killed.
Despite heavy diplomatic pressure from Iran, delegates at the world police body’s annual general assembly in Morocco voted by 66 percent in favour of issuing the “Red Notices” seeking the extradition of the wanted people, delegates said.
Argentina last year ordered an international warrant for the arrest of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and eight other Iranians on charges of masterminding the attack.
Interpol said in March it would issue its own wanted notices against six people, leaving out Rafsanjani.
Iran has repeatedly denied any link to the bombing and says Interpol risks being dragged away from police work into the realm of politics. Tehran blames the United States and Israel for trying to implicate the Islamic Republic in the attack.
In a statement after the vote, Interpol’s President Jackie Selebi said Argentina and Iran had been treated fairly and impartially, but an Iranian delegation official slammed the move.
“It is a political vote and not acceptable for us,” an Iranian delegate who asked not to be named told Reuters.
“The testimony is not credible.”
The delegate said Argentina had been told to produce new evidence to back up the arrest notices but had failed to do so.
Iran would review the situation and determine how to react, he added.
The cat-and-mouse diplomacy took another turn in August when an Iranian court sent Argentina a summons for five Argentines.
The summons accused former judge Juan Jose Galeano, former Argentine Interior Minister Carlos Corach and three civil leaders of “actions against the security of the Islamic Republic”.
Interpol, which was holding its annual general assembly in Marrakesh, Morocco, issued over 2,800 red notices last year.
The notices seek the arrest of a wanted person with a view to extradition but do not force a country to arrest named suspects. (Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)
