MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Interpol suggests mediation between Argentina and Iran over terrorist attack

Ronald K Noble, Secretary General of Interpol

France based Interpol proposed Argentine and Iranian authorities meet at Interpol's General Secretariat Headquarters in Lyon, central-south France, to unlock the judicial stalemate of the 1994 AMIA terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires.

The terrorist bombing was an attack on the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA) building in July 1994 in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured hundreds. Most casualties are Jewish.

Argentine prosecutors formally accused in 2006 the Iranian government of directing the bombing, and the Hezbollah militia of carrying it out. Interpol afterwards issued Red Notice for the arrest of six Iranian nationals in 2007.

As officials of both countries have reserved strong disputes on the case, no judicial progress showed up so far.

Ronald K. Noble, the secretary general of Interpol suggested the two countries consider making a third country handle the judicial proceedings relating to the bombing, according to a statement released on the Interpol website.

“Interpol's goal is to implement the decision of its General Assembly on this matter and to help break the deadlock in co-operation that exists between Argentina and Iran by putting forward a concrete proposal for both parties to consider and for the AMIA terrorist bombing investigation to move forward,” the statement said.

The 1994 AMIA bombing was the deadliest bombing in Argentina, where inhabited a Jewish community of 500,000, the largest in Latin America.

Israeli Presidents Shimon Peres will visit Argentina this month.

Interpol is the world's largest police organization, with 188 member countries. Its objective is international crime-fighting, and its tools include a vast database of fingerprints and DNA profiles.