EU 'aware of CIA flights', Poland prison 'unproven'

US President George W. Bush confirmed last year that the CIA had held high-level terrorism suspects at secret overseas locations, but declined to say where these were located. He also denied using torture or handing over prisoners to countries that practice it. "We do not render to countries that torture. That has been our policy and that policy will remain the same," he said. 

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the EP committee that the former German government had taken decisions over the Kurnaz case that were motivated by Germany's security needs, but were legal. "Mr. Kurnaz' long story of suffering in Guantanamo is harrowing," he said but added that the EU's accusations against him were "first of all false and also simply disgraceful". 

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she has full trust in her foreign minister. "The Chancellor has a very close relationship with the foreign minister, which is based on trust," said government spokesman Thomas Steg. "[She] goes on the assumption that the two will continue their successful work together." 

Italian Socialist MEP Claudio Fava, who chaired the investigation committee, told Reuters: "The spirit of the report remains intact, so I am very happy," adding: "It is now up to the EU governments and the European Commission to live up to their responsibilities and act in accordance with this report." 

Socialist Group representatives said that they wished to send a clear message to the Council: "We have uncovered serious breaches of human rights. We recognise the need to combat terrorism but this can only be done using legal methods." 

But Italian MEP Jas Gawronski, EPP-ED Spokesman in the Temporary Committee  criticised the report for being misleading: "The report states that illegal transport or detention might have taken place in a long list of cases, but there is precious little irrefutable proof of wrongdoing by member states. However, the wording of the report strongly implies that countries in Europe have been massively involved in extraordinary rendition activities and illegal detention. That is unfortunately not a sincere interpretation of facts." He added that the report would have to undergo substantial amendment at the plenary session in order to avoid another negative vote from the majority of the EPP-ED. 

Spanish MEP Ignasi GUARDANS, ALDE co-ordinator in the TDIP committee, dismissed these remarks stating: "The report is balanced between those who still pretend nothing has happened and those who oppose any serious cooperation with the US and its intelligence services in the fight against terrorism." 

Italian MEP and GUE/NGL committee coordinator Giusto Catania pointed to deficiencies in the report including the fact that it failed to assert the existence of secret prisons in Poland when "all the information collected by the committee would suggest the opposite." He added: "The next battle will take place in plenary, where we shall try to instigate amendments that assert the truth and stress the accountability of European governments, the Council and also certain members of the European Commission, including President Barroso, who was Portuguese prime minister when CIA torture flight stopovers in his country were frequent." 

German GUE/NGL MEP Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann said: "The CIA kidnapped and tortured people. And what did our governments do? Nothing! It is the basic legal duty of the governments to prevent or take responsibility for all human rights violations which are committed on their territory or against their citizens. We cannot allow governments to bury their heads in the sand!" 

Amnesty International regrets that national and political interests prevented the Committee from conducting a deeper investigation and producing a stronger report that establishes proper accountability. "We had hoped that political interests would not prevail given the gravity of the abuses in question and the fundamental values at stake," said Dick Oosting, director of Amnesty International's EU Office.