Once again, Nicaragua was the center of the debate in the session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) this Wednesday, after the representation of Argentina released a statement calling for the countries grouped in the regional organization to respect the so-called red alerts from Interpol and collaborate in the search and capture of terrorists.
The delegate from Argentina emphasized in her statement that the call to respect Interpol’s red alerts among OAS members was due to what she called a “reprehensible” action by the Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo regime in receiving Mohsen Rezai, Vice President of Economic Affairs of Iran.
Mohsen Rezai is one of those accused by the Argentine justice for a terrorist attack on July 18, 1994, against the Jewish Mutual Association Israelite Argentina (AMIA) of Buenos Aires, which left 85 dead and dozens wounded.
He was present at the act of imposing the presidential sash on Ortega on January 10. Later, he met with the dictator and Murillo, to discuss cooperation agreements between Iran and Nicaragua.
“An Interpol Red Notice is a notice to law enforcement agencies around the world to locate and arrest a person pending extradition. Rezai was circulated by Argentina on charges of allegedly aggravated homicide, committed for reasons of racial or religious hatred”, he first cites the statement of the Argentine delegation to the OAS.
“We are alarmed because on January 10, 2022, Rezai traveled to Managua, at the invitation of Daniel Ortega. That is why we declare that Argentina’s efforts are supported so that justice is done for the AMIA attack, and we condemn Rezai’s arrival in Nicaragua and our hemisphere, as an affront to Argentine justice and the victims of the attack,” he adds.
The declaration also urges the Nicaraguan authorities and the members of the inter-American system grouped in the OAS to collaborate with the Interpol red notices in relation to the investigations for the search for justice for the AMIA attacks.
“Nicaragua can invite whoever it wants”, regimen reacts
The declaration of the Argentine delegation caused the immediate reaction of the representative of Nicaragua before the Permanent Council, the journalist Arturo Mcfield Yescas, who first complained that the declaration was not shared with him before it was released and later affirmed that Nicaragua was free to invite “to who wants”.
“Nicaragua is really surprised by this announcement made today. Nicaragua as a sovereign country, an independent nation, as a dignified people, can invite whoever it wishes to its country to the inauguration of President Daniel Ortega. If this person comes with a good attitude, they will always have open doors,” Mcfields said first.
“Various delegations were present at the event, including from Venezuela, Russia, China, Iran and of course, there was a representation from Argentina,” he later stressed.
What Mcfields Yescas alludes to is that he was present at Ortega’s inauguration Argentine Ambassador Daniel Capitanich, who has alleged that he was not aware of Rezai’s presence in the activity, arguing that he did not know him and that he was also placed at a point that did not allow him to notice.
The declaration of Argentina was also promoted by the representation of the United States. This joint action takes place one day after the meeting between Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony J. Blinken. After the meeting, the two officials expressed concern about Rezai’s presence at Ortega’s inauguration.
Argentina’s declaration also had the support of Antigua and Barbudas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay. Venezuela joined later, after the debate that took place as a result of the reading of the declaration.
We support today’s statement by the Permanent Council of the @OEA_oficial on the visit of Mohsen Rezai – VP of Economic Affairs of Iran – to Managua and the need to cooperate with Interpol regarding the case of the #AMIA.
my words to @CP_OAS. pic.twitter.com/YahlbGPELY
— Luis Almagro (@Almagro_OEA2015) January 19, 2022
Precisely during the debate, the countries that supported the declaration joined in repudiating Rezai’s presence in Managua and condemned the AMIA attack and all kinds of terrorism in the region.
Unlike these countries, the representations of Mexico and Bolivia condemned the attack and terrorism in general, but did not join in repudiating Rezai’s presence in Managua, citing the “self-determination of the peoples” and the independence of each country to invite whoever you want.
Another that did add to the repudiation by Rezai was the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, who also said that “condemned” the presence of the Iranian official in Managua on January 10.
