La Nacion: The United States renewed its call for the AMIA bombing to be clarified

By Silvia Pisani, 2 June 2015

With a much more determined gesture, the Obama administration tacitly renewed its call for the clarification of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish association and, with it, the dark death of the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Alberto Nisman.

This emerged from the meeting held in this city yesterday between the president of the AMIA, Leonardo Jmelinitzky, with the lead person at the State Department for Latin America, Roberta Jacobson. As usual in these cases, the meeting was behind closed doors, and despite attempts by LA NACION, to press time, it had not yet produced any formal comments by the two parties.

However, the appointment appeared on the public agenda of the official, in a gesture that reveals the intention of the Departent that it be made public. Jacobson has been strong spokeswoman for the position of the US government that the investigation of the AMIA bombing in 1994 move ahead, a call which also includes Nisman death.

It is the first time Jmelinitzky has gone to Jacobson’s office since the death of the prosecutor, which occurred on January 18 and during a full escalation in the dispute with the government of President Cristina Kirchner, whom he reproached for the hidden intentions behind the signing of the agreement with Iran.

It may be a coincidental encounter with the AMIA. But it was done at a suggestive moment: when the death of the prosecutor is returning strongly onto the public agenda, from the revelation of a video with alleged irregularities in the raid on his apartment in Puerto Madero on the day of his death, with which the investigation into his death was opened, and is still unresolved.

In fact, the appointment approximates strong diplomatic support after the dispute that the leadership of the AMIA has had with Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, which resulted in his resignation from the entity. However, in such strong terms that they were rejected by its leadership, including Jmelinitzky himself.

Those close to the entity explained to LA NACION last night that the intention of the leadership was to maintain a tone of caution and discretion, after the stress experienced in recent weeks with the Foreign Minister.

It is as a recourse that the AMIA has been using in recent months. “We have kept silent out of caution,” said Jmelinitzky a few days ago, in televised statements in which he renewed his request for an investigation.

“Society cannot tolerate” that both the terrorist attack in 1994 against the headquarters and the death of Nisman remain in darkness,” he argued. Both President Barack Obama and lawmakers from both major parties on Capitol Hill added their support in this regard and, meanwhile, the question remains standing whenever Argentina is mentioned.

Rule of Law

The US government “is concerned” when in countries with which it has a “strong” relationship have questions about the rule of law and justice,” presidential spokesman Josh Earnest said weeks ago when asked in the usual press briefing in the White House.

The State Department came out several times on the issue, while at the same time recalling that “for more than twenty years there has been collaboration with the Argentine government in investigating the 1994 bombing, as well as with the community and with the families of the victims in the search for justice.”

Moreover, the US government also warned that the death of Nisman last January, “should not slow the prosecution in Argentina of those responsible for the brutal terrorist attack” and renewed once again its willingness to collaborate in the investigation and its clarification, as well as with regard to the death of the special prosecutor.

View Original Text