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European Countries, US, Slam Council of Europe Report

DW staff (jb)June 8, 2006

Despite a tremendous amount of circumstantial evidence showing that 14 European countries colluded with the US in secret "rendition" flights, Europeans are denying the allegations in the Council of Europe report.

https://p.dw.com/p/8aQw
Full clarification of the issue of CIA rendition is a long way offImage: AP

The US did not outright deny the allegations but called the report thin on facts. The UK slammed the report as "nothing new." And Poland, accused of housing secret detention centers, dubbed it "slander."

The Council of Europe report issued Wednesday which said 14 European countries colluded in or tolerated the secret transfer of terrorist suspects by the US is provoking outrage among the countries accused.

Drawn up by Swiss parliamentarian Dick Marty, the report identified a "spider's web" of landing points around the world used by the US authorities for the practice of "extraordinary rendition" -- the undercover transfer of security suspects to third countries or US-run detention centers.

"It is now clear -- although we are still far from establishing the whole truth -- that authorities in several European countries actively participated with the CIA in these unlawful activities," the report said. "Other countries ignored them knowingly, or did not want to know."

A "reprehensible network"

Citing media reports, investigations by human rights groups, air traffic control records, witnesses and contacts within US and other intelligence services, Marty documented 17 individuals subjected to "extraordinary rendition" with alleged European collusion.

Europarat Dick Marty zu CIA-Flüge
Marty called the CIA's system a form of "legal and judicial apartheid"Image: AP

It listed Sweden, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Britain, Italy, Macedonia, Germany and Turkey as countries "responsible, at varying degrees ... for violations of the rights of specific persons." Seven other countries "could be held responsible for collusion -- active or passive": Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Romania and Spain.

"The United States ... actually created this reprehensible network," the report said. "But we also believe to have established that it is only through the intentional or grossly negligent collusion of the European partners that this 'web' was able to spread also over Europe."

Unproven allegations

The United States criticized the report as a list of unproven allegations.

"This would appear to be a rehash of the previous efforts by this group," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a press briefing. "I don't see any new solid facts in it. There seem to be a lot of allegations but no real facts behind it."

McCormack said that renditions "are an internationally recognized legal practice. (Venezuelan terrorist) Carlos the Jackal wouldn't be in jail today without the practice of rendition."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair told parliament that the report "adds absolutely nothing to the information we have."

"What I have said is that rendition had been the policy of the American government for a long time including under the last administration as well as this administration," he said. "We have kept parliament informed of all the requests we are aware of -- four in 1998, two of which were granted, two declined."

Britain was accused of handing the CIA information about its citizens or residents, who then allegedly faced "rendition" and torture under interrogation.

Secret prisons

The strongest claims were made against Poland and Romania where the report said there is "now a preponderance of indications" that secret detention centers were operated near aircraft landing points. That included flight data that showed flights to an airbase near Warsaw that Poland says it has no record of.

CIA-Flüge in Europa
The Council of Europe can't bring legal proceedings but can only "name and shame"Image: dpa

The report drew angry denials from Bucharest, which rejected its findings as "pure speculation," and Warsaw, where Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz dismissed it as "libel."

"These accusations are slanderous -- they are not based on any facts," he said.

Marty has accused Poland of not cooperating with his investigation.

Categorical denials

Some countries, such as Spain and Ireland, categorically rejected charges of assisting in prisoner transfers. Germany, which allegedly was a "staging ground" for secret flights and which is conducting a parliamentary inquiry into the matter, has not responded. Others, such as Greece, Cyprus and Portugal, accused of being used as stopovers in rendition flights, said that all flights to their territory were with respect to international law.

Macedonia, which is accused of collaborating in the alleged kidnapping by the CIA of German citizen Khaled el-Masri, said there was "no hard evidence." Marty and EU investigators have complained that Macedonia was stalling their investigation.

Marty called for European governments to conduct "serious, transparent investigations" because although the fight against terrorism was an "absolute necessity," the report said the role of the intelligence services must be "consistent with the rule of law and democratic legitimacy."

Marty's report is due to be debated by the Council of Europe's assembly on June 27.

The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, which is a separate body from the European Union, was set up after World War II to promote democracy and human rights across the continent. It has 46 member states.