A plenary session of the European Parliament (EP) Wednesday
adopted a final report decrying illegal CIA operations in
Europe.
The report passed with 382 votes in favor in the 732-seat
parliament, concluding a year of investigations into whether the US
agency secretly held terror suspects in Europe before flying some
to countries practicing torture.
"At least 1,245 flights operated by the CIA flew into European
airspace or stopped over at European airports between the end of
2001 and the end of 2005," the adopted text of the final report
said.
The report added that "it is unlikely that certain European
governments were unaware of the extraordinary rendition activities
taking place in their territory."
EU member states were harshly rebuked for "turning a blind eye"
to such flights, naming and shaming Britain, Germany and Italy.
Before Wednesday's vote, the EU members separately voted on
amendments to the report separately, making the process one of the
longest in EP history. Member states turned down amendments
granting the CIA exclusive flight rights.
The amendments were to recognize "the right of the CIA to fly
wherever and whenever it deems necessary," and to "transport any
kind of passengers in the absence of any infringement of national
or international law."
They further stated that "secret services are so called because
their function is to work secretly and they should continue to be
able to do so."
The vote thus upheld the original text of the report demanding
that the CIA toe the line in terms of civil aviation rules.
However, planned "sanctions" against EU member states at fault
were dropped, and changed to non-binding "pressure," asking those
countries to report to the EU headquarters.
Claudio Fava, the Italian EP member leading the committee that
finalized the report, hailed the move on Wednesday. "There is no
compromise on the truth," he told a press conference.
The committee held over 200 hearings, dispatched seven
delegations to different countries and organized 30 sessions of the
panel to explore the case, he said.
Fava acknowledged that the adoption merely left "the door ajar,"
calling on EU member states and other institutions to face the CIA
activities in Europe.
Stanley Crossick, founding chairman of the European Policy
Center, a Brussels-based thinktank, announced that this affair
would be unlikely to worsen trans-Atlantic relations, "as
Washington has similar problems from time to time with
Congress."
"The EU member states' governments will do all they can to
conceal the truth," he said.
In September 2006, US President George W. Bush admitted the
existence of secret prisons for terror suspects although he denied
any use of torture.
The first reports of secret CIA detention centers in Eastern
Europe emerged in November 2005, which soon marked a series of
high-profile investigations across Europe.
One month later, the EP's Civil Liberties Committee and Foreign
Affairs Committee urged the EU assembly to open its own inquiries
with a resulting committee being formed in January 2006.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2007)
