Brussels, 23/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - Almost a year after the opening of an investigation into illegal CIA operations in Europe, the temporary European Parliament investigation committee acknowledged on Tuesday that the CIA had acted illegally in Europe with the complicity of Member States. It called on the EU to launch investigations to assess their responsibility.
By adopting the report of Claudio Fava (PES, Italy) by 28 votes in favour, 17 against, with three abstentions, the EP investigation committee concluded that some EU Member States were aware of the transportation and secret detentions by the CIA of presumed terrorists in European territory. The chairman of the investigation committee Carlos Coelho stated during a press conference that, “It was pretty clear that the CIA was committing illegal acts in Europe”. According to Coelho there is a strong likelihood that these facts were known about in certain Member States. The report indicates that around 1400 planes crossed European airspace or landed in European airports, most of them used in prisoner rendition. Most of these flights were revealed to have taken place in the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland. 13 Member States were cited as having been involved to varying degrees. Italy and Sweden are the two countries most involved as they “physically participated in operations of extraordinary rendition operations”, declared Mr Fava. According to Fava, “there had definitely been victims” as a result of this illegal action and in certain cases, serious abuses.
The parliamentary committee has therefore called on the Council to immediately open an independent enquiry (Article 7 of the Treaty) and if necessary impose sanctions against Member States whose participation is confirmed (Article 6 of the Treaty). The report accuses CFSP High Representative Javier Solana, as well as other officials of not having cooperated with the investigation and having failed to divulge information about the US programme of prisoner rendition. In a press conference Mr Coelho deplored the fact that, “We only managed to get the full information from confidential sources”. Commenting on the vote, Jas Gawronski (EPP-ED, Italy) affirmed that the text was “totally useless” insofar as there is “no concrete evidence” that confirms the complicity of Member States in illegal CIA action. He also regretted the absence of proof was not mentioned in the report. Baroness Sarah Ludford (ALDE, United Kingdom), criticised the attitude of certain members of Gawronski's group, which was effectively saying that the EP enquiry committee was “a waste of time and money to the tax payer”. She also underlined the importance of now working with the new Congress in the US “in close cooperation” on subjects linked to terrorism. As for the forthcoming vote in February, Ignasi Guardans Cambo (ALDE, Spain) said that he was “open to discussion with the EPP-ED” to agree on certain amendments but not to water down the body of the report. (bc)