Ecuador leader compares Jewish victims to Libyans

Correa says victims of 1994 terror attack in Buenos Aires no different than Libyans victims of NATO bombings

Associated Press |Published: 12.06.12 , 01:15

Jewish leaders expressed outrage Wednesday over a statement Ecuador's President Rafael Correa made about Argentina's worst terrorist attack.

Correa told a TV interviewer that he was familiar with the 1994 bombing that killed 85 people in the AMIA Jewish Center in Buenos Aires.

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The bombing was the worst terror attack in Argentina's history.

He called it "a very painful part of Argentina's history," but then suggested that the United States and its allies pose a greater danger than Iran, which Argentina's government believes organized the attack.

Correa said: "Look at how many died in the NATO bombings of Libya. If we compare these two events, we can see where the true danger lies."

Argentine Jewish leader Julio Schlosser said Wednesday that Correa's comments show "extraordinary insensitivity."

Correa was on a one-day visit to Argentina to receive a free speech award from the journalism department of one of Argentina's top universities, despite criticism that the leader has tried to muzzle his nation's press.