Rendition inquiry criticises EU states

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Rendition inquiry criticises EU states

Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

sent by Simon McGuinness

The Irish Times - Nov 29, 2006
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/world/2006/1129/1164693657281.html

Rendition inquiry criticises EU states

by Jamie Smyth in Brussels

EU: EU states knew about the illegal transport and detention of
terrorism suspects by the CIA on their territory and have obstructed an
investigation conducted by MEPs.

A draft report prepared by a committee of the European Parliament
strongly criticises 11 member states and several top politicians for not
fully co-operating with its inquiry into the practice of rendition by
the CIA and the existence of secret prisons.

It specifically targets EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana for
"omissions and denials" in his evidence to the committee as a matter for
deep concern.

It also says the evidence provided by EU's counter-terrorism chief Gijs
de Vries "lacked credibility".

The report "deplored" poor co-operation from Britain, as represented
before the committee by Europe minister Geoff Hoon and named 11 EU
states, which had either directly or indirectly been complicit in the
illegal transport of suspects by the CIA.

It notes that at least 1,245 flights operated by the CIA have been
overflying through European airspace, or stopping over at European
airports.

It also regrets that member states had relinquished control over their
airspace and airports in admitting flights operated by the CIA which, in
some occasions, aimed at the illegal transport of detainees.

The US has admitted using rendition, or the secret transfer of terrorist
suspects, as part of its strategy on the "war on terror" that it has
adopted since the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

In September this year president George Bush confirmed that high-level
suspects had been held at secret overseas locations, although it has not
yet been proven if any of these secret prisons were based in any EU
member state.

The report provides no hard evidence about the existence of these secret
prisons, however it says it is deeply concerned that in some cases,
temporary secret detention facilities in EU states, might be located on
US army bases. It also regrets that there may be a lack of control over
US bases by hosting states, and urges them to exercise jurisdiction over
their whole territory, including foreign military bases.

Poland is singled out for criticism for not co-operating with the
inquiry, which it said was probably due to an overall scepticism from
the government.

It also names the intelligence training centre at Stare Kiejkuty as a
possible location of a secret prison.

Italy, which is one of three states named that facilitated rendition on
its territory along with Germany and Sweden, is also singled out for
strong criticism.

The report accuses the former head of Italy's Sismi intelligence service
of "concealing the truth" when he told the committee that Italian agents
played no part in the CIA kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in 2003.

On the contrary, Sismi officials played an active role in the abduction
of Abu Omar, and the CIA kept Italian authorities informed on his later
detention in Egypt. Abu Omar had been "held incommunicado and tortured
ever since", it says.

The CIA plane used to transport Abu Omar to Egypt later stopped at
Shannon airport on the way home to refuel, according to evidence
presented to the committee.

The report notes that 147 CIA flights touched down at Irish airports.

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