AJC Denounces Visit of Iranian Defense Minister to Bolivia

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May 31, 2011, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC denounced Bolivia's decision to host Iranian Minister of Defense Ahmad Vahidi, who is currently on an official two-day visit to the country.

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Vahidi is the subject of an INTERPOL red notice for his role in the 1994 terrorist attack against the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), the Buenos Aires Jewish community center, that killed 85 people and wounded more than 300.

"Why would any self-respecting government welcome the Iranian defense minister?" asked AJC Executive Director David Harris.

"As the minister of a government agency complicit in the development and procurement of proscribed weapons, as well as the export, in violation of binding UN Security Council resolutions, of weapons to Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah, Vahidi should be persona non grata, not a welcome guest," said Harris.

"Moreover, as the leader of an INTERPOL member country, Bolivian President Evo Morales has shown a blatant disregard for international norms and human decency by feting this wanted terrorist in La Paz. Instead of receiving him with open arms, Bolivia should be denouncing Vahidi's crimes, detaining him, and ensuring his extradition to face justice in neighboring Argentina."

Bolivia broke relations with Israel in 2009 and, in recent years, has established close ties with the Iranian regime. President Morales has visited Teheran on several occasions and Iranian high-level officials, including President Ahmadinejad, have visited La Paz.

Since the attack in 1994, AJC has maintained close relations with the AMIA, a partner institution, in its 17-year pursuit of justice in the case of this terrorist attack.

www.ajc.org

SOURCE American Jewish Committee