Bahram Ghasemi made the remarks on Sunday to dismiss earlier reports in certain media outlets quoting him as saying that the diplomat “only has impunity in Vienna," where he worked at Iran's embassy.
He said “in legal and political affairs, distortion and selective coverage of remarks can have undesired consequences.”
“In our view, this Iranian diplomat, despite the fact that he was not in his assigned country, and was on the way to return to the location of his mission, has full immunity under Article 40 of the Vienna Convention and one cannot say he did not have immunity.”
Ghasemi added “the headline that read Assadi only had impunity in Vienna is not correct and contradicts my remarks," adding "his immunity extends to other countries, including Germany, where he was taken into custody."
Assadollah Assadi, 46, accused of handing bombers half-a-kilo of explosives to blow up an opposition rally in France, was extradited to Belgium by German court. He was suspected of having been in contact with the couple arrested in Belgium passing the high explosive to them during an earlier meeting in Luxembourg. The couple, 38 and 33, were arrested in Belgium suspected of plotting a bomb attack on a meeting of the terrorist Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) in Paris.
Iran on Wednesday summoned the German ambassador to protest Berlin’s extradition of the Iranian diplomat to Brussels.
KI/ISNA97072212574
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