ARGENTINA: JEWISH COMMUNITY LEADERS TELL

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001651 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL ASEC SNAR SCUL AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: JEWISH COMMUNITY LEADERS TELL AMBASSADOR THEY WILL PUSH AMIA INVESTIGATION TO GO AFTER "LOCAL CONNECTION" REF: (A) BUENOS AIRES 1598 (B) BUENOS AIRES 1420 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Leaders of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) told the Ambassador November 28 that they are satisfied with prosecutor Alberto Nisman's work in going after the Iranian authors and perpetrators of the 1994 AMIA bombing that killed 85 persons, but they believe he now needs to show some results in going after the terrorists' "local connection." They also said they were publicly urging the Supreme Court to decide favorably on the admissibility of the bulk of evidence produced in the original judicial inquiry. On December 1, leaders of the American Jewish Congress (AJC) echoed these concerns with the Ambassador and indicated that they would raise the issue on December 2 with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. The AJC leaders also expressed concern that Venezuela's President Chavez is helping Iran establish greater influence in Latin America. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) AMIA Secretary General Julio Schlosser, Vice President Angel Barman, and board member Agustin Zbar called on the Ambassador November 28 to convey their concern about an unsigned diatribe against them that appeared in "Buenos Aires Econimco" (BAE) on November 19. The article mischaracterized a November 7 meeting that staffdel Quilter had with AMIA representatives (ref A, paras 15 & 16),and claimed that AMIA and another Jewish community organization, DAIA, were intent on absolving a former judge who is under investigation for alleged irregularities in his oversight of the first judicial inquiry into the AMIA bombing. ¶3. (SBU) In the meeting, Schlosser, Barman, and Zbar did not dwell on the BAE article. Instead, they praised the work of prosecutor Alberto Nisman in going after the Iranian authors and perpetrators of the AMIA bombing, but also urged that he show some results in going after the terrorists' "local connection." They said the prosecutor should focus on basic questions, such as who purchased the truck that was used in the bombing, who had telephone contact with the bombers, and who intervened to transfer AMIA's police detail on the day of the bombing. They also questioned the priority the GOA was placing on the investigation of the alleged cover-up and protection of the "local connection," insisting that former DAIA president Ruben Beraja was beyond reproach and had been wrongfully charged in the investigation. ¶4. (SBU) The AMIA leaders also said they were publicly urging the Supreme Court to decide favorably on the admissibility of the bulk of evidence produced in the original judicial inquiry. They said that if the Supreme Court failed to single out the evidence that had been "compromised" and instead tossed out all the evidence, that would essentially obviate any chance of a successful prosecution. ¶5. (U) AMIA issued a press release November 27 making points that tracked with those outlined above. Meeting with American Jewish Committee -------------- ¶6. (SBU) On December 1, leaders of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) echoed these concerns with the Ambassador and indicated that they would urge President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) to pursue the local connection in the AMIA attack more aggressively. The Ambassador observed that CFK views herself as an international human rights defender and had continued her husband and former President Nestor Kirchner's policy to call on the Iranian government to extradite the Iranian suspects of the AMIA attack to Argentina. When asked whether Argentina proactively lobbies other countries in Latin America on Iran, poloff noted the GOA's recent efforts to weigh in with its neighbors on UN General Assembly resolutions sanctioning Iran. ¶7. (SBU) AJC leaders also expressed concern that Venezuela's President Chavez is helping Iran establish a greater presence in Latin America. They asked whether such efforts were gaining ground in Argentina. The Ambassador stated that bilateral relations between Iran and Argentina are non-existent. When asked about Argentine-Iranian trade, he explained that Argentina sells soy and other commodities to Iran on the open market just like any other country and that Iran had been purchasing significantly more recently from Argentina. The AJC leaders said they would also flag their concern with GOA leaders. They clearly did so with Justice Minister Anibal Fernandez on December 2, as initial press reports out after the meeting quoted him as saying commercial trade with Iran would cease. The Minister's office later told the press those reports were incorrect. KELLY