AMIA: Opposition requests accord delay

Opposition deputies sent a letter to President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner requesting that she “postpone the ratification of the treaty (with Iran to jointly investigate the 1994 AMIA terrorist attack) until after the public trial over the (domestic) cover-up of the attack.”

Lower House Radical (UCR) caucus leader Ricardo Gil Lavedra confirmed that the letter was sent and revealed that the President was also asked to postpone the ratification until after the “culmination of the process of declassification of archives,” which was announced in presidential Decree 2103/2012.

The other deputies who signed the letter are Victoria Donda (Libres del Sur), Alfonso Prat Gay (Civic Coalition-ARI), Margarita Stolbizer (GEN), Omar de Marchi (Democrat Party-Mendoza), Carlos Favario (Progressive Democrat-Santa Fe), Claudio Lozano (Popular Unity), Felipe Solá (Peronist Union) and Juan Carlos Zabalza (Socialist Party.)

The text calls for deferral, stating that “the majority achieved” in the bill’s passing “was exiguous” and “the enormous diversity of opinion and divergent views of victims, relatives and directly involved organizations has been left clear.”

The letter specifically criticizes aspects of the treaty, including its “ laxity,” the “functioning and formation of the Truth Commission,” the “actual chances of interrogating suspects” and “the likely negative impact of the accord on the validity of (Interpol’s) Red Notices.”

The letter stresses the government’s own recognition that progress on the case was hindered by “obstacles” due to crucial archives remaining secret. Consequently, they argued that the opening of such archives would provide “the President a better and conclusive vision” of whether to ratify the treaty or not, reminding her that “the Constitution does not impose a time limit for the ratification of a treaty.”

— Herald with DyN, Telam