CIA inquiry: Detention centre admission ups pressure on European governments to come clean

Commenting on the admission by US President Bush yesterday that CIA detention centres exist outside of the US, Green MEPs Cem Özdemir, vice-president of the CIA committee, and Raul Romeva said:

"That the CIA operates detention centres outside of US jurisdiction comes as little surprise and confirms the evidence already uncovered by the European Parliament's inquiry. The surprising thing is that the US President made the admission before the national governments in whose jurisdictions the camps exist. Either these governments have conspired to conceal the truth or they have failed to properly investigate the well-founded allegations.

"The exact locations of these illegal prisons in Europe must now be uncovered, so that they can be closed down without delay, and the Parliament's inquiry should now divert its attention to ensuring this. It seems unlikely that the Bush administration was the only government to conceal the truth. Any EU governments that were aware of these camps must now come clean and cooperate with the ongoing inquiry."

UK Green MEP Jean Lambert, who was a member of the CIA committee's delegation to the US earlier this year, added:

"The EP delegation to Washington earlier this year (1) was given assurances by US officials that the US does not 'do extraordinary renditions'. Yesterday's admission of the existence of secret CIA camps shows that we have been justified in our scepticism and unwillingness to take US assurances at face value. The spotlight is now on those European governments that either bought into the US claims or failed to deny them. They must be completely forthcoming and engage fully in the investigation of CIA abuses."

Editors note: (1) A delegation from the EP's CIA inquiry committee, including Jean Lambert and Cem Özdemir, visited Washington and met with US officials and NGOs from 8-12 May this year.

Source: www.greens-efa.org/cms/pressreleases/dok/146/146508.cia_inquiry@en.htm