Was SFOR involved in extraordinary renditions in Bosnia? EP committee asks

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Wednesday May 03, 2006 19:43 by Coilín ÓhAiseadha Máigh Nuad, Co. Cill Dara 086 060 3818

Solana denies knowledge of CIA activities

Socialist members of the European Parliament's committee investigating the CIA's activities in Europe have called for a NATO representative to appear before the committee to answer questions concerning the possible involvement of the NATO-led Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) in the abduction of six people from Bosnia.

The call follows EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana's denial of any knowledge of the CIA's use of European countries for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners, which he made in response to questions from members of the committee on Tuesday 2 May.

The TDIP committee's interim report dated 24 April proposes a resolution in which the European Parliament will judge it implausible that certain European countries have been unaware of extraordinary renditions that have taken place on their territory and in their airspace or airports, and will deplore the extraordinary rendition by Bosnian authorities of six persons of Algerian origin to agents of the CIA.

News - 02/05/2006
CIA committee: Call for NATO to explain role of SFOR in abduction.

Socialist members of the European Parliament's inquiry committee into alleged illegal CIA activities in Europe have called for a NATO representative to appear before the committee to answer questions concerning the possible involvement of SFOR personnel in the abduction of 6 people from Bosnia.

The call follows the committee's exchange of views today with Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary General of the Council.

Socialist vice-president, Jan Marinus Wiersma and coordinator, Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler said: "Mr Solana's clear and unambiguous approach to the question of torture is to be welcomed. We are in total agreement that there can be no place for torture under any circumstances.
"We also welcome Mr Solana's view regarding the concept of so-called 'stateless combatants' as used by the American authorities. Such a category does not exist for us Europeans and appears to be a very clumsy way of trying to get round the Geneva Convention.
"Since the Treaty limits the competence of the High Representative in dealing with this issue and even in making enquiries, it is very clear that it is up to the member state governments to state precisely what their role has been.
"Mr Solana was therefore not in a position to answer our questions regarding the reported involvement of SFOR personnel in the abduction of 6 people from Bosnia. For this reason we are proposing that a NATO representative be invited to the committee to explain this."

In the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee NATO Secretary General, Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, in reply to a question from Mr Wiersma, said he was unable to answer the question concerning the reported abduction in Bosnia.

Enda McKay - Mobile: 00 32 (0)476 809 092
emckay at europarl dot eu dot int

http://www.socialistgroup.org/gpes/news.do?id=23250&lg=en

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Solana denies knowledge of CIA jails in Europe
03.05.2006 - 09:59 CET | By Lisbeth Kirk

EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana has denied any knowledge of the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners in the "war on terror."

"I have no information whatsoever that tells me with certainty that any of the accusations, allegations, rumours…are true", Mr Solana said, when quizzed by members of a European Parliament temporary committee on Tuesday (2 May).
...

But MEPs did not get anywhere with Mr Solana, leading to some criticism of Mr Solana for "washing his hands of responsibility."

"I don't have the competence…to ask the countries how they have handled these questions and they don't have the obligation to answer me," he said.
...

Mr Solana did confirm that secret detention centres would be illegal in theory however.

"If these exist or have existed in Europe or elsewhere, they would violate international human rights and humanitarian law," he stated.

"Our stance against torture and other cruel treatment is clear. It is always wrong and illegal. There are no ifs or buts," Mr Solana went on.
...

http://euobserver.com/9/21494

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Excerpt from the TDIP committee's interim report of 24 April, 2006:

"PROPOSITION DE RÉSOLUTION DU PARLEMENT EUROPÉEN
sur l'utilisation alléguée de pays européens par la CIA pour le transport et la détention illégale de prisonniers
(2006/2027(INI))
Le Parlement européen,
...
Concernant la possibilité que les États membres soient, à travers des actes ou des omissions, impliqués dans des arrestations, des enlèvements, des restitutions extraordinaires et des détentions secrètes ou qu'ils s'en soient rendus complices
8. estime invraisemblable, sur la base des témoignages et de la documentation recueillis jusqu’ici, que certains gouvernements européens n'avaient pas connaissance des activités de restitution extraordinaire qui avaient lieu sur leur territoire et dans leur espace aérien ou leurs aéroports; ...
10. déplore la restitution extraordinaire, par les autorités bosniaques, de six ressortissants ou résidents d'origine algérienne aux agents de la CIA, en l'absence de garanties judiciaires et malgré une décision formelle contraire de la chambre des droits de l'homme pour la Bosnie-Herzégovine;
... "

A link to the TDIP's interim report in French can be found on this page:
http://www.delegazionepse.it/canali/giustizia_liberta/d...=8983

Click on the words "risoluzione interinale".