Argentina's new government will not appeal a court's decision to strike down a deal with Iran over investigating the deadly 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, a government source said on Friday, putting the long-running controversy to rest.
President Mauricio Macri took office on Thursday. Former leader Cristina Fernandez had said she would appeal the ruling last year, which voided the agreement she signed with Iran in 2013 to investigate the country's alleged role in the bombing.
The memorandum would have created a joint "truth commission" made up of five independent judges from third-party countries to investigate the bombing. It would also have allowed for Iranian suspects in the case to be questioned.
Tehran denies any responsibility in the attack that killed 85 and refuses to extradite its citizens. Argentine laws, meanwhile, forbid trying suspects in absentia.
Fernandez always maintained that, given these limitations, the memorandum was the only way to confirm whether Iran's government was behind the attack, as Argentine prosecutors have alleged.
A federal court last year deemed the memorandum "unconstitutional".
The government source, who is familiar with the matter but declined to be named, said Buenos Aires would issue on Monday a news release making it clear it accepted the court's decision and would not seek to revive the deal, Reuters reported.
CAPTION: New Argentine President Mauricio Macri
