Brussels, 05/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 3 December, an Italian judge suspended the trial of 26 American nationals, mostly CIA agents, and 5 members of the Italian intelligence services accused in the investigation on the 2003 kidnapping of a person belonging to an Egyptian religious order suspected of terrorism and known by the name of Abu Omar. Suspension was decided after declarations by Council President Silvio Berlusconi and his predecessor, Romano Prodi, who warned that evidence could be a threat to the country's security. The trial was adjourned until 18 March pending a decision by the Italian constitutional court on the matter relating to national security. A court decision is expected on 10 March. Furthermore, the daily El País, which obtained a “top secret” official document dating back to 10 January 2002, affirmed on 30 November this year that the Spanish government headed by Conservative member, José Maria Aznar, was aware from 2002 of the CIA's secret flights carrying Taliban prisoners from Afghanistan to the Guantanamo detention base. The daily said the document proves that Mr Aznar's government “knew that American flights over Spain or stopping in Spain carried detainees in highly suspect legal conditions”. Since the affair of CIA secret flights was revealed in November 2005, neither officials of the People's Party nor of the PSOE Socialist government in power afterwards recognised that they had been aware of these transferrals. The National Audience, Spain's highest penal body, is inquiring into the matter. (B.C./transl.jl)