Britain's court sets timetable for extradition of Iranian diplomat

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, September 20, 2003

Britain's court sets timetable for extradition of Iranian diplomat

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A judge in Britain ruled Friday the British government must decide by Oct. 23 whether to approve extradition proceedings against Hade Soleimanpour, a former Iranian diplomat wanted for the car bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina.

The rule was made at the end of a 20-minute hearing at London's Bow Street Magistrates Court.

Judge Christopher Pratt set the five-week period to give British Home Secretary David Blunkett time to review 2,600 pages of evidence submitted by the Argentine government.

Soleimanpour, 47, who now lives in England, was arrested Aug. 21 on an Argentine warrant. Argentina accuses him of helping to plan the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people died.

Soleimanpour was Iran's ambassador to Argentina at that time. The arrest has strained relations between London and Tehran, which has always denied responsibility for the bombing.

Soleimanpour, who has been in Britain since last February and worked as a research assistant at Durham University in northern England, was arrested last month by British police on an extradition warrant issued by Argentina.

He was granted bail in Britain on Sept. 12. But he was ordered to report daily to his local police station before his extradition case was due to begin on Sept. 19.

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