CIA investigation: Report throws spotlight on EU institutions cooperation with US on renditions

Commenting on the draft final report of the EP committee investigating CIA abuses in Europe, presented in the committee yesterday, Green MEP and deputy chair of the CIA committee Cem Özdemir stated:

"This report both sets out the clear evidence of CIA abuses in European jurisdictions but also highlights the role of Member States and the EU institutions in conspiring to cover up this information. There can be no doubt remaining that the CIA both abducted and transported civilians in EU countries and that some Members States actively or passively colluded in this practise.

"The report also highlights the role of the EU institutions in trying to obstruct the investigation into these CIA abuses by failing to fully cooperate and attempting to conceal information. It is worrying that EU institutions would even seek to cover-up these human rights abuses. However, more disturbing is evidence uncovered by the committee suggesting attempts to draw up an EU-US framework on renditions, of which Foreign Policy High Representative Javier Solana and Anti-Terrorism Co-ordinator Gijs de Vries were fully aware (1). They should reappear before the committee to address this scandal."

Greens/EFA coordinator on the CIA committee Kathalijne Buitenweg added:

"Clearly the 11 Member States where these abuses took place need to reassess their compliance with regard to the protection fundamental rights, outlined in Article 6 of the Treaty. Given the US administration has now itself confirmed the practise of renditions and sought to defend them as a necessary element of its 'war on terror', the continued silence of many culpable Member States on the issue is odious. EU citizens deserve guarantees that this will not happen again"

Editors notes: (1) The committee obtained a copy of the protocol of the 'COJURCONTRA Troika' with John Bellinger, US State Department Legal Advisor - 3 MAY 2006, which states that 'the [Austrian] Presidency, supported by the Council Secretariat [Solana] (...) [suggested] to develop a framework for renditions'. This is a clear evidence of the cooperation between EU and US Authorities in the rendition scheme. From an interinstitutional point of view, the fact that such protocol was censored is a real scandal: the version transmitted to TDIP is a five pages document while the official protocol contains about 30 pages.

Source: www.greens-efa.org/cms/pressreleases/dok/159/159021.cia_investigation@en.htm