GOA SHARES ITS CONCERN ABOUT INTERPOL STATEMENT ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001031 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2024 TAGS: KNNP PTER MNUC PREL AORC IR AR SUBJECT: GOA SHARES ITS CONCERN ABOUT INTERPOL STATEMENT ON IRAN; ENCOURAGED TO JOIN CHORUS ON IRAN NUCLEAR ISSUES REF: A. STATE 95073 ¶B. STATE 92560 Classified By: CDA Tom Kelly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Argentine Vice Foreign Minister Victorio Taccetti voiced concern with Charge d'Affaires on September 14 over a press statement quoting the Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald Noble, discussing efforts to resolve the dispute between Argentina and Iran over Iranian suspects in a 1994 terrorist attack in Buenos Aires. The September 14 press report discussed Noble's pending trip to Iran to promote Argentine-Iranian dialogue over the Iranian suspects in the car bomb of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA), an attack that left 85 dead and hundreds wounded. ¶2. (C) Taccetti objected to the characterization of Argentina's capture request as something requiring mediation, and he particularly objected to the statement attributed to Noble that Iran and Argentina both "are valued members of Interpol that share" a concern "to combat terrorism and other serious international crimes." "If we're going to be lumped together with Iran in terms of anti-terrorism," said Taccetti, then "what's the point" of our counter-terrorism cooperation. (Comment: Taccetti's statement built on frustration over the main theme of our meeting, the GOA's official protest over a DOL report on goods produced with child and forced labor (reftel B and septel). He also noted Noble's American citizenship and past jobs in the USG in lodging the objection to the Iran-Argentina statement. End Comment). ¶3. (C) Taccetti went on underscore Argentina's position: "We are not saying the Iranians are guilty, but accused," he said. The Iranian argument that their citizens could not receive a fair trial in Argentina was, moreover, "bullshit." "I'm not saying Argentine justice is perfect," Taccetti added, "but in a case like this, with all the international attention, I promise it would be exceptional." ¶4. (C) Charge d'Affaires voiced appreciation for Argentina's position in the AMIA investigation and its role as a counter-terrorism partner, assuring the Vice Minister that the United States saw no equivalence whatsoever between Iran and Argentina. In fact, he said, drawing from reftel A, we were again seeking Argentina's support for a strong intervention on Iran's nuclear program and need to comply with IAEA and NPT obligations. CDA described the global effort to reach out to important members of the non-aligned movement for support ("the fence sitters" interjected one of Taccetti's colleagues) as an important way to convince Iran of its isolation on the issue and need to change course. ¶5. (C) CDA said that we would be discussing the matter further, signaling that incoming Ambassador Martinez was likely to include this among her top priorities during her presentation of credentials with Foreign Minister Taiana scheduled for September 18. KELLY