EU members urged to admit to CIA renditions
Franco Frattini, the EU justice commissioner, has admitted for the first time that European territory had been used for "extraordinary renditions", the process by which the US secretly moves prisoners to undisclosed locations where it is believed they are being tortured.
Mr Frattini's intervention came as parliamentarians voted overwhelmingly to approve a report by Liberal Swiss senator Dick Marty that "named and shamed" 14 European states, including Britain, Germany and Sweden, and watched a video containing direct testimony on secret detention and torture from two survivors.
He said in Strasbourg it was a "fact" that incidents of "extraordinary rendition" had taken place on European territory since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US, but insisted it was unclear whether governments were aware of them or had cooperated, and whether the flights were legal.
Urging national governments to investigate alleged CIA activities on their territories, he said: "It's extremely premature to draw consequences from the elements so far available. What we must do is make sure that national authorities understand that they not only have the power but the duty to carry out judicial investigations."
He added: "They have the duty to establish national committees. I am determined to encourage, to put political pressure if necessary, on the home affairs ministers so that we get the results [of the inquiries]." Mr Marty said collaboration with the CIA was "proven" and Mr Frattini said his report had shown "facts".
Blair can no longer get away with the fobbing off of enquiries into this issue or the blanket denial that the government have any knowledge of what is going on.
It is time for the government to agree to a formal enquiry into whether British airports are being used for extraordinary rendition flights and as to whether tip off's from MI5 led to any British citizen being incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay.
If we are allowing extraordinary rendition flights, and few of us believe Blair's claims that he is unaware of what's going on, then we are facilitating torture.
If this does come to light, it will add to the clamour that is growing surrounding the date of Blair's departure. If the man who invaded Iraq illegally can now be shown to be assisting in further human rights abuses, then there are many of us in the party who would want his removal immediately.
This would be the final nail in Blair's coffin for many of us.
MEPs are, separately, demanding an EU inquiry into alleged transfers and abuses of financial data concerning European citizens from Swift, the Brussels-based international banking body, to the US authorities in the fight against terrorism.
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