Iranian Foreign Minister: Initial Probe Unveils No Information On Missing Former FBI Agent

Friday, May 4th 2007, 2:47 pm

By: News On 6

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) _ An investigation into the fate of a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran has uncovered nothing, but Iran's government has asked for more details about the missing American, the foreign minister said Friday.

The Iranian inquiry on Robert Levinson, which has been missing for more than a month, will continue, said Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, speaking at the end of an international conference on Iraq held in Egypt.

Levinson, 59, of Coral Springs, Fla., retired from the FBI in 1998 and was last seen March 11 on the Iranian resort island of Kish. He was said to be working on a film on the island, known for its beaches, sea turtles and relatively liberal atmosphere.

Iran has been in contact with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which houses a U.S. interests section, on details about the missing agent, who worked in New York and Florida and was known for busting Italian and Russian mobsters.

Washington broke its diplomatic ties with Tehran after Iranian militant students stormed its embassy in Tehran in 1979 and kept its occupants as hostages for 444 days.

``We asked the Swiss Embassy to provide additional information in order to do the necessary investigations,'' Mottaki said. ``Based on the initial investigation, the government of Iran has no information on that person, and this matter has been communicated formally to the Swiss Embassy.''

Levinson's relatives have said they are doing everything possible to find him. U.S. officials, who have said Levinson was in Iran on private business, have played down the disappearance.

Americans, as well as nationals of other countries, need no visa to enter Kish, one of three Iranian free-trade zones with relaxed visa and trade rules.