27/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin declared on Saturday 25 October that the "body scanners" currently being tested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport were "absolutely discreet", according to the Dutch daily newspaper Volkskrant. "Personally, I'd be for them, and make use of them", said the Christian-Democrat politician, explaining that these scanners, which scan beneath clothing to detect non-metallic weapons or explosives, did not expose the face of the scanned person. This means that there could be no risk of "pictures of naked celebrities" somehow cropping up in the media, since the anonymity of the images would not increase sales at any newspaper kiosk, he explained. This opinion is the polar opposite of that of the German home affairs minister (EUROPE 9769). (B.C./transl.fl)