MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Strong letter to Cristina Fernandez for blocking AMIA case prosecutor from testifying before US congress

The Argentine president embroiled with the US Congress over Iran

The United States Congress sent a strong letter to Argentine president Cristina Fernandez expressing ‘disappointment’ and ‘deep concern’ over the government’s decision to deny General Prosecutor of the AMIA Case, Alberto Nisman, the opportunity to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security’.

AMIA Case Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman was invited to the Lower House to present the findings of his 500-page indictment on the 1994 bombing in Buenos Aires of a Jewish institution, accusing Iran of allegedly masterminding the attack and “infiltrating” Latin America to establish “intelligence networks”.

The death toll of the 18 July 1994 attack was 87 people killed and dozens injured and maimed; the worst terrorist attack on Argentine soil. However Argentina’s Prosecutor General Alejandra Gils Carbo blocked the trip.

In the 500-page document Nisman paints a picture of Iran and Hezbollah’s vast network of sleeper cells in Latinamerica conducting “activities you wouldn’t imagine” or waiting indefinitely to receive an order to attack, the prosecutor told reporters when he unveiled his report in late May.

The letter from the House of Representatives dated 3 July also underlines that the decision to deny authorization for Special Prosecutor Nisman to testify before the U.S. Congress ‘does call into question the authenticity of your intentions, and we are deeply disturbed’.

Addressed ‘Dear Madam President’ the letter begins saying “We write to express our sincere disappointment and deep concern over the Government of Argentina’s decision to deny General Prosecutor of the AMIA Case, Mr. Alberto Nisman, the opportunity to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency’s hearing on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 entitled, “Threat to the Homeland: Iran’s Extending Influence in the Western Hemisphere.” This Congressional Subcommittee is composed of Members of Congress from both political parties, as all committees and subcommittees are, and we consider this issue of Iran one of critical importance.

“Mr. Nisman was invited to share the findings from his October 2006 and May 2013 investigations into the AMIA bombings, which placed responsibility for the attacks on the highest authorities within the Government of Iran. Furthermore, his investigation underscored a critical issue to U.S. homeland security, showing that Iran was “the main sponsor” of an attempted attack in June 2007 on American soil to blow up John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport in Queens, New York. Had the plot not been uncovered, an untold number of Americans could have been killed by this terrorist act.

“The Government of Argentina has indicated its desire to pursue justice and truth on Iranian involvement in the AMIA bombing. However, the decision to deny authorization for Mr. Nisman to testify before the U.S. Congress does call into question the authenticity of your intentions, and we are deeply disturbed. We respectfully request that you reconsider this issue in light of regional security interests and allow Mr. Nisman to share with Members of Congress the results of his work”.

The letter is signed by the Committee’s chairman Michael T. Mc Caul and Jeff Duncan chairman of the Subcommittee.

Chairman McCaul was quoted in the US media stating that “Alberto Nisman’s report sheds critical light on how the United States should understand threats to our homeland that emanate from the Iranian regime. His investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires shows that the Iranian presence in the Western Hemisphere is greater than we imagined. Iranian infiltration within countries in our region presents a clear and present danger to our homeland, as do attempts to silence or downplay this threat, and Mr. Nisman’s testimony should be heard.”

Likewise Subcommittee Chairman Duncan argued that “Iran’s willingness to conduct operations in the Western Hemisphere and on American soil is clear. In contrast to the U.S. State Department’s recent assessment that Iran’s influence in Latin America and the Caribbean is ‘waning,’ Nisman’s investigation revealed that Iran is deeply embedded within countries in Latin America and is ready to exploit its position to ‘execute terrorist attacks when the Iranian regime decides to do so.’ Argentina’s decision to deny Nisman permission to share his findings publicly sends a troubling message and is deeply disturbing to regional security and U.S. homeland security.”