Portrait of Néstor Kirchner
Politician · country
Wikipedia (opens in new tab)

Néstor Kirchner on Iran

Condemned non-cooperation (strong)

TL;DR

Néstor Kirchner publicly condemned Iran's lack of cooperation regarding the 1994 AMIA bombing investigation.

Key Points

  • In a September 2007 speech to the UN General Assembly, Kirchner denounced Iran's failure to cooperate with Argentine Justice regarding the AMIA attack.

  • His government issued a decree in July 2005 that formally accepted a share of the blame for the failure of the AMIA bombing investigations.

  • Shortly after taking office in 2003, he opened Argentine intelligence files related to the AMIA case and lifted restrictions on agent testimony.

Summary

Néstor Kirchner's government took steps related to the investigation of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center, an event for which Iran was later formally accused of directing the attack. Shortly after assuming office in spring 2003, he opened up Argentine intelligence files on the case and lifted a decree preventing intelligence agents from testifying. In July 2005, Kirchner's administration issued a decree formally accepting a share of the blame for the failure of the investigations, calling the unresolved matter a "national disgrace."

However, the government's broader approach, particularly under his successor but informed by his administration's actions, involved a controversial attempt to engage Iran diplomatically. In 2006, prosecutors formally charged Iran and Hezbollah, seeking arrests, but the Kirchner government later proposed a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran to establish a 'truth commission' to jointly investigate the bombings, a move that drew significant criticism from Jewish groups and was later declared unconstitutional by the Court.

Key Quotes

"I want to stress here, in the United Nations headquarters, that unluckily and until today, the Islamic Republic of Iran has not collaborated with the Argentine Justice,"

Frequently Asked Questions

Néstor Kirchner's most direct and public statement on Iran concerned the 1994 AMIA bombing, which he addressed at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2007. According to reports from that time, he stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran had not collaborated with the Argentine Justice system to solve the terrorist attack.

Yes, Néstor Kirchner's government did take steps related to the investigation, including opening up intelligence files on the case shortly after he took office in 2003. Furthermore, his administration issued a decree in July 2005 that acknowledged the government's failure in the investigation, calling it a "national disgrace."

The controversy centered on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, proposed during the Kirchner era, to establish a 'truth commission' to investigate the AMIA bombing. Jewish groups strongly criticized this as 'coddling Tehran' and undermining the judicial process, suggesting it was a compromise rather than a pursuit of justice.

Sources5

* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.