As Iran and Latin American countries are joining forces to increase south-south cooperation, growing ties between the two sides, particularly those between Iran and Argentina, have infuriated the United States, Press TV reports.
The US has fiercely reacted to the move by Argentinaâ„¢s National Prosecutor General Alejandra Gils Carbo in preventing a special prosecutor to a 1994 bombing attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) from attending the US Congress to level allegations against Iran.
Alberto Nisman has collected a 500-page indictment in which he deliberately accuses the Islamic Republic of Å“infiltrating” regional countries to spread an Å“intelligence network.”
Å“The people of Iran should know that in Argentina we call things like Nisman report an absurdity which has no legal and technical grounds. Nisman underestimates Latin America and should only be interested in finding the truth about the AMIA attack,” head of the Movement of Latin American Integration for Social Expression (MILES) political party Luis Dâ„¢Elia told Press TV.
In a letter personally addressed to Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, American lawmakers expressed their disappointment over the veto of Nismanâ„¢s visit to the US Congress.
They questioned the Å“veracity” of the South American countryâ„¢s intentions to probe the 1994 AMIA attack through a memorandum of understanding recently reached between Argentina and Iran.
Tehran and Buenos Aires reached a comprehensive agreement to jointly probe the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community center in Argentina.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his Argentinean counterpart Hector Timerman signed a memorandum of understanding in late January under which the two countries agreed to shed light on the bombing attack, which killed 85 people and wounded 300 others.
Å“Although these sectors are trying to bastardize it, the agreement is bringing concrete results. Besides, the people of Iran have been historically tight to Argentina. It is a positive accord and shows Argentinaâ„¢s determination to strengthen ties with countries [that] are also fighting for their sovereignty,” Ex-Coordinator of Urban Policies Lito Borello said.
US interference in Argentinaâ„¢s affairs has received a major setback in the past days following allegations on Washingtonâ„¢s spying programs in Latin America. Argentinaâ„¢s president has called for a Å“strong” condemnation statement from the Mercosur trade bloc.
Å“Argentina has maintained a clear position in favor of the ratification of the accord with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Argentinaâ„¢s interest is to allow the AMIA case to move forward and to know the truth,” Head of the Lower House Commission on Foreign Affairs Guillermo Carmona said.
The MoU, which lays the foundation for the creation of a Truth Commission to investigate the AMIA attack, has been recently approved by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
SF/NN/HMV
Republished with permission from: Press TV